


The Power to Reshape the World, The Ability to Play God

by Desceeee



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Bullying, Critique of all kinds welcome and encouraged, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fun fact: I originally wanted to title this 'Underfell but Not Really', Gen, Gender-Neutral Frisk, Manipulation, Misunderstandings, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, The rating isn't for sexual content btw, this story is very unsexy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-03
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2018-07-29 00:08:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 53,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7662526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Desceeee/pseuds/Desceeee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The game is rigged in Frisk's disfavor; Now, everything is darker, emptier and dustier than it should be.</p><p>There is a killer prowling the Underground, and when a human falls down, many are all too willing to point to them.</p><p>At least they have an ally in the enigmatic but friendly flower, Flowey.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Day in an Inconsequential Life.

The harsh light reflected, intensified, on one of the broken shards of glass that were still attached to the window sill, landing right in their eyes and forcing them awake. Frisk groaned as quietly as they possibly could and pulled the thin woollen blanket over their head, curling into an even smaller ball than before to try to warm up, just a little, so they could go back to sleep.

They didn’t need to get up just yet. In fact, they shouldn’t. It would be no good if they woke their parents up; It would anger them, and justifiably so. Their parents went to sleep late last night, and they need all the sleep they can get. It’s stressful enough to raise a child like them as it is. It’s their responsibility to stay small, stay quiet, stay unseen, cause as little a problem for their parents as possible.

Frisk’s parents have never wanted them to be here to begin with. They already gave them more than they deserved, and for that, Frisk was grateful. Frisk might be nothing more than a nuisance and a liability, but they were determined to be as little of a nuisance and a liability as possible.

Just as they were about to nod off again, the sound of shouting from downstairs caused them to jerk wide awake. Frisk sighed as they peeled off the blanket and pulled the hood of their coat over their head, as it was about to fall off.

They better get going, then. If they successfully sneak out, perhaps they can prevent their parents from getting even angrier.

 

* * *

 

The way to school was a short, but surprisingly picturesque, due to one aspect of it; The Ebott Reservation Zone across the road; an area untouched and unsullied by man, if only due to the rather dark rumours surrounding the place.

Even from their low vantage point, the view was magnificent, awe inspiring, even, as the sun-framed summit of Mt Ebott loomed over the trees.

When Frisk was little, they used to daydream for days on end about the kind of wonderful adventures that can be found in a place like this. Even knowing about all the missing travellers, even knowing about the myth of the monster that came out of there, couldn’t quite quell their curiosity. 

Even now, the very sight of it filled them with....

Intrigue.

However, they never managed to muster the courage to actually go up there. Most likely, they would be caught trying to break into that area and get in trouble, not even getting close to the mountain. It would make their parents so mad...

Frisk lowered their head and walked quicker, but not significantly quicker, as they walked past the cop guarding the entrance to the Ebott Reservation Zone, as if afraid he could read their thoughts.

They always took pride in their ability to keep a low profile.

Well, it wasn’t really pride, per say, but it was a useful ability; it was their main advantage in all matters social. By keeping their head down and their thoughts to themself, they could avoid getting into trouble, at least, with their teachers and most other adult authority figures in their life.

Frisk would have found it a little too embarrassing to admit aloud, but they always felt anxious around authority figures and other powerful people. It was hard for them to imagine a scenario in which they would talk to someone like that and not annoy them, or even anger them. After all, how could someone as inconsequential as themself ever have anything of value to say to people like that? Surely, it would only cause them to hate them. It really was better to avoid notice, at all times.

Frisk was at the gate of their school before they knew it, and earlier than usual. But then again, it made sense, they woke up early today. It wasn’t, however, early enough to arrive to school before this one, specific group of boys did, as Frisk realised to their chagrin when they saw them standing right by the school gate.

Frisk tugged the hood of their coat over their forehead, trying to conceal as much of their face as possible, and walked even quicker past that group. If they’re careful, perhaps they can get past without incident.

Frisk’s hopes were dashed, however, when they suddenly felt themself crash into the hard, rough concrete as the sounds of cruel, hysterical laughter filled their ears. Hurt and groggy, Frisk leaned up on their elbow and looked behind them to see the outstretched foot of one of said boys, who looked back at them, smirking. 

Despite their best efforts, Frisk’s quiet nature was not enough to prevent kids their age from noticing them, in the worst possible sense of the word. As a matter of fact, it only ever seemed to encourage them.

Perhaps there’s nothing they could do about it, thought Frisk as they shuffled back onto their feet. 

Perhaps, no matter how hard they tried, they would always be someone who is easy to hate.

 

* * *

 

It was right after school has ended for the day, and Frisk wasn’t even out of the school gates when they were accosted by that group again.

Frisk’s back was pressed into the metal chain-link fence behind them, the protruding parts of the fence rubbing against the protruding parts of their spine. A hand was gripping the front of their coat and pulling upwards. Despite their best efforts, Frisk found themself gasping as they looked up at their attackers through tear-ridden, squinted eyes.

“You thought you could avoid us, didn’t you?”  
  
The leader of the boys had a wide, toothy grin and cruel eyes. At the sound of his words, the other boys began jeering at Frisk, stringing together homophobic epithets. Chaotic, but united in their endeavour, the chorus to their leader’s melody.

“I’m sorry, I... I didn’t mean to offend-“

“You’re always ‘sorry this’ and ‘sorry that’, you probably don’t mean it one bit, do you...” The leader sneered at them.”Unless you actually do, in which case, well... How spineless can you even be?!” The leader’s face has tightened with his last words, glaring right through Frisk as they struggled with all their might to escape from the intensity of it.

Then, the leader of the group has done the last thing Frisk expected him to do, and released his grip of their coat. Disoriented, Frisk grasped the fence behind them in a desperate attempt to stay on their feet.

“You know what? Let’s see what you’ve got!” the group leader was looking at them with a cold gaze. The cries and curses of the other group members had died down by now, as they listened, enraptured, to their leader’s words.

“Hit me, Frisk. With everything you’ve got!”

“Huh?!”

“Let’s see what you’re made of! Are you really as weak as you seem?” The group leader was smirking, but his eyes were still cold. “Land one good hit on me, and we’ll leave you alone.”

 Frisk stared at the group leader, wide eyed and shaking. Then hesitantly, they lifted up their arm, curling their palm into a fist.

They only had to hit him once, they told themself. One time, and these guys would leave them alone.

All they had to do was muster up the willpower to hit him. It probably wouldn’t even hurt him. After all, he was older and stronger, a sturdy fellow, and they were so weak...

Before they had the time to falter past the point where his patience would expire, Frisk swung their fist with everything they had, using their entire body as a pivot to put all their weight into the strike.

Only to find themself slowing down more and more the closer their fist got to his body, until they ended up landing their hit on him in the form of a light pat.

The crowd around them erupted into laughter as Frisk cradled their hand close to their chest, trembling. The leader’s gaze has grown even colder as he waited for the laughter to stop.

“You’re pathetic, you know that, right? Is that really your best? Or...” The leader grinned again, but it was a mirthless grin. His eyes were filled with rage “Did you actually think you could hurt me? Are you actually this full of yourself?”

A fist collided with their stomach before Frisk could protest, or even apologize again. Frisk found themself crying out, even though they knew no one would come to their help.  
  
And they didn’t deserve help, either. They were weak, and cowardly. They brought this on themself.  
  
They had no one but themself to blame.

 

* * *

  
  
It was a couple of hours later when Frisk mustered up the strength to pick themself up, clutching their torso.  
  
The group have all already left by now. It should be safe for them to go home as soon as they find their bag.  
  
Frisk stood up straight and started limping around the school yard. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for their tormentors to take their bag away from them, but they rarely stole it. Usually, they would just open it and let the contents spill onto the floor, so Frisk would suffer the humiliation of having to crawl around to pick all their stuff up.  
  
But today, neither the bag nor its contents were anywhere in sight, not anywhere in school, at least.  
  
Suddenly, Frisk had an idea, they went back to the place where the group confronted them to begin with, and looked through the gaps in the fence. Their hunch was right, as they saw the half opened bag strewn on the floor.  
  
Without thinking, Frisk gripped the fence and began to climb, wincing as their injured leg had strained whenever they had to rest their weight on it.  
  
Only to lose their balance when they reached the top, falling to the other side.  
  
Frisk leaped back to their feet and grabbed their bag before the shock and pain from the fall could settle in.  
  
After sifting through their bag to ensure all the contents were there, Frisk slung their bag over their shoulder and tried to climb the fence back, only to find their grip giving out on them before being able to climb even one step higher.  
  
 It was then that Frisk came to an horrifying realisation; it was a few hours after school has ended. It was going to be dark soon, they were injured, meaning that their way home was going to be a slow and painful one even if they took their usual route from school which would require them to start their journey at school...  
  
And they weren’t at school right now.  
  
 In fact, they were currently trapped inside the Ebott Reservation Zone.  
  
Frisk began taking deep, controlled breaths as they considered their options.  
  
If they went to the gate, it would put them back on their original route home, but the cop there would be mad at them for being in there to begin with. They would be in for a lot of trouble...  
  
The very thought made them sick with anxiety.  
  
No, that wasn’t an option.  
  
Besides, getting back home this late would only irritate their parents. And they didn’t want to irritate their parents.  
  
Whereas, if they stayed the night out, and returned home tomorrow on time, their parents probably wouldn’t notice.  
  
Yes, that would have to do. They would spend the night in the Ebott Reservation. Tomorrow morning, they would be better rested and their injuries would have healed somewhat, so they would be able to climb the fence back.  
  
All they had to do was find shelter for the night.

 

* * *

  
  
Against their better judgment, Frisk found themself going deeper and deeper into the reservation area. It was justified, they thought, they lacked to skills to create shelter on their own, so they had to rely on the possibility of finding natural shelter, which was difficult to find on the outskirts of the reservation.  
  
It was getting darker every minute, with only the full moon, peeking out from between the clouds and branches, providing them with any light. The chill of night sapped what little warmth the air had during the day. And it had dawned on Frisk that they were beginning to hear the occasional distinct sound of droplets hitting the canopies of the trees around them. Soon enough, it began pouring, dripping though the branches and leaves, leaving them no place to hide.  
  
Frisk began wondering if somehow, they made the universe itself hate them today.  
  
They didn’t even realise it when they began climbing the mountain, due to the darkness of their surroundings, as the slope was a gentle and easy one, so much that even an injured, soaked, exhausted, shivering child could climb it. It was only when they turned back and saw the lights from Ebott Town from above that they realised how far they were from home.  
  
At that moment, Frisk had another horrifying realisation; No one who had disappeared up this mountain had done so because they had a climbing accident or just because they got lost.  
  
People far stronger and better prepared than they were had lost their lives here, and no one had any idea why.  
  
But... they couldn’t turn back. Everyone would be so mad at them. Everyone would hate them even more than they already do.  
  
Luckily, Frisk did, eventually, find a cave. A small, unassuming opening by the mountainside, a safe haven from the rain and winds.  
  
Frisk removed their bag and took off their coat, which was heavy with water and soaked through to the point it couldn’t keep them warm anymore, leaving them with their striped sweater which was, fortunately, relatively dry. Frisk laid their coat spread out to dry and picked a spot, relatively protected from the elements but, at the same time, not too far from the cave entrance or deep in the darkness, to settle in, themself.    
  
Curling onto themself, Frisk began to nod off, only to suddenly jerk awake at the sound of a high pitched shriek, reverberating from deeper within the cave.  
  
Frisk froze in place, their heart pounding in their chest.  
  
They were just imagining things, right? They were just paranoid...  
  
But their fears were only validated when yet another shriek echoed off the cave, different in pitch and sound, but not less blood chilling.  
  
Frisk leaped back on their feet, and headed out of the cave, just for the time it took for them to find a large enough stick that was still small enough for them to lift.  
  
A thought crossed their head; _it wouldn’t help._ They couldn’t even stand up to other kids, how were they going to fight off a _monster_?  
  
And in complete darkness, nonetheless?  
  
But they held on to their stick, if nothing else, it helped them feel a little better.  
  
Dragging their feet, Frisk edged their way deeper and deeper into the cave, clutching the stick with both hands as though it was a sword.  
  
But they didn’t even get very far into the cave when the ground gave in beneath them, sending them sprawling down into the abyss below.


	2. In the Dark

Frisk’s landing was a surprisingly soft one, considering the height from which they fell. They didn’t even lose consciousness.

Frisk took a moment to ponder that fact as they grabbed and groped the material they were currently laying in. It was seemingly made up of several smaller strands which stuck out. Each strand having a rough circular centre at its end that had several softer, small, thin-textured _things_ attached to it-

-Flowers, they were laying in a bed of flowers. That must have been what had broken their fall. Frisk had no idea how the flowers could have possibly been soft enough to nullify a fall from that height. But they were nonetheless grateful for the fact. They spread their arms wide, trying to grope for their stick, only to find themselves feeling bare earth. The flowerbed they had fallen into couldn’t have been very large. Frisk was, indeed, very lucky to fall directly into it rather than the cold, hard ground that surrounded it.

Frisk pushed off the ground forwards, feeling a little too tired to stand up quite yet, or even crawl. Only to feel their arms giving out beneath them, their torso crashing into the ground. They felt their face land into what appeared to be a pile of thick, sticky powder.

They began coughing from the moment they took their next breath, as they struggled to inhale anything but the dusty powder that now filled the air around them.

Suddenly, a high pitched, but boyish voice rung out from somewhere right in front of them.

“Howdy! You’ve fallen down, haven’t you?”

With some effort, Frisk lifted their head up, leaning on their elbows, finding their teary-eyed gaze falling upon a single, spinning, white floating orb illuminating what looked like a very large flower with yellow petals...

...And a concerned look on his face. Or perhaps confused? Calculating? Frisk was never very good at interpreting facial expressions.

Oh, and yeah, he had a face on his stigma... Flowers don’t usually have those, do they?

For a moment, Frisk wondered if they really did survive that fall after all.

“Are you okay? You’ve... been kind of staring at me for a moment there.” The flower now had an inquisitive look on his face, with one of his eyebrows raised.

At least he had been friendly, and polite. The same, Frisk realised, could not be said regarding Frisk themself.

“I’m... I’m fine!” Frisk pushed themself off the ground and sat onto their knees “Umm... I’m sorry for.... uh...”

“Oh, don’t be silly.” The flower smiled, his face bright and with a hint of mischief, “It’s fine to be a lil’ disoriented! You’ve probably never seen a talking flower before! And besides... That fall must have really done a number on you. Anyways, my name’s Flowey.”

Frisk smiled, they were already beginning to feel better “Mine is-“

“Shh!” Flowey suddenly took a deadly serious look on his face as he almost slapped Frisk with a vine trying to muffle their voice. “Did you hear that?” He whispered.

Frisk let out a sound between a gasp and a whimper, stunned from the sudden change in Flowey’s disposition.

 “ _She_ is coming! You have to hide...” Flowey’s voice, still hashed, now took on a frantic property, his eyes wide.

The distinct sound of footsteps could be heard from an unclear direction.

Frisk froze in place, “Who- ?”

All at once, Flowey extinguished the floating orb in front of his face, and Frisk was pushed onto their stomach and pinned down by vines. Panic set in as Frisk began struggling when they felt themself sink down into the flowerbed. They were gasping, swallowing air with all their might. But even without the mass of vines and roots limiting the air available for them to breathe, it was as though there was not enough oxygen in the world.

Then Flowey’s voice found its new location right next to their ear, a strict, demanding whisper. “Stay still and be quiet! I’m helping you hide!”

Frisk tried their best to calm themself and still their movements as the footsteps drew closer and closer and the vines around them became more numerous, covering them completely.

The sound of a flame being lit allowed them to locate the source of the footsteps. With slow, careful movements, they tilted their head towards the sound, trying to see that unknown entity through the stems, petals and leaves that have framed and obscured their vision. But all they could see was a glimpse of purple cloth, illuminated by an orange glow.

“Who’s there?! Come out!” The entity’s voice was deep, but feminine, its tone harsh and demanding.

The footsteps grew louder and then suddenly stopped as the entity stood right by the flowerbed. Frisk could now see her feet, with their white fur and their long, sharp, rounded claws. Not to mention, just by their size, Frisk could tell that the entity was must have been humongous, larger than any human adult they ever saw.

This entity wasn’t human, she definitely wasn’t human. Frisk found themself holding their breath, afraid they would immediately give away their position the moment they dared exhale. They could hear her taking a deep breath.

“Who’s there? Please come out.” Her voice, though still stern, was softer this time, laced with an emotion Frisk wasn’t sure how to interpret.

After a moment that felt as though it lasted for hours, the entity began walking away. Only when the footsteps were so faint they could barely be heard did Frisk allow themself to breathe again.

Flowey withdrew his vines to allow them to sit back up, and summoned the floating orb again.

“Who was that?” whispered Frisk, afraid that should their voice be any louder, they would draw her attention again.

Flowey popped out of the ground in front of them, his face grim and his eyes haunted. “Her name is Toriel. She’s the one in charge around this area of the Underground, as she’s the biggest and most powerful monster here. She has a real liking for children, especially human ones,” Flowey drew closer to Frisk with every word, looking them straight in the eyes. Frisk almost flinched from the intensity of his gaze. “And let me put it this way: There is a _reason_ why all eight kids she got her hands on so far are _dead_ now.”

Frisk shuddered, falling backwards onto the palms of their hands, away from Flowey’s face.

“I really saved your butt just now. If it wasn’t for me, she would have found you, and she would have taken you away.” Flowey pulled back, but his eyes remained on Frisk.

Frisk pulled their knees towards their chest and hugged their legs, resting their chin on their knees.

“Are the stories all real, then? Do monsters live here?”

“Yup! Unfortunately for you, monsters don’t like humans very much... It’s a shame too, coz’ _I_ think you guys are just fine...”

Frisk averted their eyes from Flowey’s.

“I’m sorry... I didn’t mean anyone any trouble; I just need to get home”

““Well, that’s the issue here. The monsters here aren’t just going to let you pass through. Down here, it’s kill or be killed, and you, well...” Flowey sized Frisk up and down, his eyes lingering on their injuries. “You’re easy pickings.”

Frisk face had fallen with those words. Their injuries, the exhaustion they carried with them all day, and the sheer, overwhelming despair imbued in their current situation have finally hit them.

What were they going to do?

Flowey suddenly beamed, his face as bright as when Frisk first met him.

“Don’tcha worry, though, I’ll help you! I’ll guide you through the underground. You’ll be back home in no time!”

Frisk felt their eyes filling with tears with those words. They quickly wiped their face with their sleeve, trying their best not to cry in front of Flowey.

“You... You’d really do that? You’d really help me?”

“Uh huh!” Flowey’s smile got even wider “It would just be cruel of me to leave you now, wouldn’t it...”All at once, his smile disappeared again. His face grew stern and serious. “You’d just die on your own, wouldn’t you? You’re completely dependent on me...”

“But... I can’t give you anything in return! I... I don’t have anything...” Frisk’s voice trembled, they struggled with all they had not to burst into tears again.

“Hey! Don’t worry about that, okay?” Flowey smiled again “I’m sure a situation would arise that would allow you to repay me! And for now, you can just repay me by being my friend.” Upon the last word, Flowey looked away from Frisk with a pained look in his eyes, his smile a little less wide. “I’ve... I’ve been getting real lonely, recently...”

“You... you really want to be my friend?” Frisk’s eyes widened. It all seemed too good to be true.

Flowey’s eyebrows lowered, his smile twisting into sneer.

“Well, duh! Didn’t I just say that? I guess I’ll have to do all the thinking for you, too...”

Suddenly, a strange thought, one that Frisk was convinced could not be their own, crossed their mind.

_‘Worthless treacherous coward’_

Frisk pushed that intrusive thought out of their head, and, empowered by Flowey’s words, found the strength to stand up again.

The thought of having a helper, a friend, even, for the first time in their life...

 It filled them with hope.

 

* * *

 

Frisk limped their way deeper into the ruins with Flowey in tow. He was using his magical floating orbs to lighten the way, but even so, Frisk could not see more than a few metres in front of them at any time.

The ruins were, largely, an empty, quiet place. Frisk tried their best to walk as quietly as possible, afraid that Toriel would find them again, but it was difficult with an injured leg, and so, the sound of their footsteps echoed through the halls, amplified by the silence of their surroundings.

However, there was one element of their surroundings that made Frisk feel uneasy; Every so often, they would come across a pile of thick, white dust, lying undisturbed in their path. Frisk doubted it meant anything, though.

As tense as their transversal of the ruins might have been, however, it was mostly uneventful. For a long time, it seemed that the most notable event to happen to them would be when they ran into a candy bowl which has been overturned a long time ago, with all its candy thrown to the ground. The ruins seemed as lifeless as they were dark.

Until suddenly a strange frog, easily large enough to reach Frisk’s hips, hopped into their path with a loud croak.

Frisk felt an intense, painful tug at their chest, causing them to keel over. They were clutching their chest and squeezing their eyes shut, trying their best not to cry out.

When they opened their eyes again, the sight in front of them stunned them.

Flowey’s orbs now circled them. The frog has summoned its own magic, which manifested in the form of several glowing white flies, who were buzzing and flying around, trying to get into the Flowey’s orb circle, only to be blocked every time.

The most surprising thing they saw, however, was the small, floating, glowing, red heart in front of them, protected by Flowey’s orbs alongside themself. Flowey, too, seemed surprised at the sight of it, staring at it wide eyed with an expression Frisk struggled to interpret.

Flowey was first to snap back to his senses. ”Oh gosh, are you okay?”

Frisk nodded, still recovering from the initial shock of it all.

“Well then, that Froggit just attacked you. If you want to survive the underground, you need to know how to fight.” Flowey de-summoned the orbs that stood between Frisk and the Froggit, his face suddenly contorting into a rather gleeful grin, filled with anticipation. “Now that you are no longer taken by surprise, fight this Froggit. It’ll be good practice.”

Not wanting to disappoint Flowey, Frisk clutched their stick with both hands, faced the Froggit, and stepped towards it, the heart moving with them, floating near their chest. The Froggit, on the other hand, was getting less and less brave with every step Frisk took, shrinking at the sight of them. For a brief moment, it reminded Frisk of themself.

Frisk squeezed their eyes shut as they swung their stick with what little might they had, trying not to look at whatever might result from their strike. Their hit landed right on top the Froggit’s head, but barely damaged it. The Froggit, nonetheless, now looked scared out of its mind.

Shaking from the adrenaline rush, Frisk took a step back, quietly granting the Froggit a way out. The Froggit immediately took that opportunity, hopping away with all its might, its frantic croaks still audible long after it has disappeared into the darkness. Frisk stood frozen still as they watched the red heart sink into their chest, remembering to breathe again only when it was no longer visible.

“You idiot! Why did you let it get away?!” Flowey’s voice was filled with more frustration than worry.

It took a moment for Frisk to react. They were still shaking from that rather poor excuse for a fight. They turned and faced Flowey, who was now glaring at them. They clutched their stick to their chest.

“It looked so scared,” They whimpered. “It wasn’t going to fight me anymore. I didn’t want to hurt-“

“Listen, the heart you just saw? That was your SOUL!” Flowey’s voice was getting rougher and louder with every word “That’s what at stake here! Everyone here want to take your SOUL! If you keep being so wilfully weak, you’ll never be able to protect it!”

Shivering from the implication of Flowey’s words, Frisk looked at the last place where they’ve seen the Froggit.

“Do I _have_ to kill to protect myself?”  They whimpered, even weaker than before.

“Well, duh! I already told you! It’s kill or be killed.” Flowey shook his head. “Ugh... You really are lucky we are friends. Left to your own devices, you’ll get absolutely ripped to shreds! Now c’mon, we _have_ to get going again. _She_ has definitely heard us with all the commotion you’ve been causing.”

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t long before the two of them came across yet another monster.

A ghost, or rather, a being resembling a white sheet with large, hollow eyes, was lying in their path, visible from several metres away due to their glow. The ghost aggressively made snoring noises, even though they clearly were awake.

Flowey tugged at Frisk’s leg with a vine, motioning them to come closer and kneel next to him. As soon as they did so, he de-summoned his orb.

“See that? That’s your chance to prove yourself to me,” he whispered, “we got them by surprise, so this really shouldn’t be too difficult, even for you.”

“Can’t we just slip past? I-“

“Ugh, you really are hopeless! Can’t you do anything right?!” he hissed, “if you refuse to protect yourself, I might as well just not bother with you anymore.”

Flinching at Flowey’s words, Frisk tried their best to sneak within range of the ghost, clutching the thigh of their injured leg. But before they could get close enough to strike, the ghost rose up on their own, and began staring at Frisk with wide, tearful eyes.

Frisk felt their skin crawling as once again, their SOUL came out of their body. For a moment, they felt the urge to apologize, even though they knew they would definitely disappoint Flowey by doing so.

Surprisingly enough, the ghost was first to speak.

“oh no... he’s gotten to you... hasn’t he...” The ghost began wailing, spraying magical tear shaped projectiles in all directions.

Frisk ducked to the side when some of the tears have came within grazing distance to themself before leaping at the ghost. They swung their stick with everything they had.

Only for the stick to phase through the ghost like it would have through air.

Not ready to give in just yet, Frisk swung their stick again. Only to be met with the same results.

Frisk trembled in front of the ghost as they realised just how much they were over their head now.

“you never stood a chance...” The tears were getting harder to dodge now. Frisk found themself keeling over when a stray one hit them, filling their body with a brief, but sharp bout of pain.

“oh...” The ghost stopped crying for a moment, staring at the ground past Frisk “hey... flowey... i’m so sorry for earlier... i’ll just disappoint your friend too...”

Flowey’s voice sounded from behind them “What are you waiting for?! You’re human! Hit them harder!”

“I’m trying...” Frisk breathed their words out. They tried their best not to cry with exhaustion and frustration. “I can’t hit-”

Frisk fell down to one knee, crying out and clutching their stomach, when another stray tear hit them.

“What the hell, Napstablook?! Even a human can’t hit you?!” Flowey’s fury was now directed at the ghost.

Napstablook cried even harder at Flowey’s words, and Frisk was in no condition to dodge.

Suddenly, a flame ignited just behind Napstablook. Frisk’s eyes widened.

“Behind you!” They cried out before they realised what they were doing, only to get hit by yet another stray tear for their efforts.

Flowey’s voice rung out, “No!“.

The last thing Frisk saw before they hit the ground was Flowey’s shocked face as he withdrew into the ground, as quick as a whip.

Then, everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For both this chapter and the previous one, criticism of all kinds, constructive or non-constructive, is more than welcome. Thank you for taking the time to read this.


	3. More Harm than Good

_“Chara, please... Wake up! You are the future of humans and monsters...” A deep, masculine, booming voice cried out, laced with desperation._

_“Mama... Mama... Mama...” A soft, childish voice whimpered, getting weaker with every word._

The first thing they felt when they woke up was that they were hot, hotter than they ever felt in their life, as they were encased in a thick, soft blanket. The sweat stuck their clothes to them like second skin. Their mouth was dry. They tried to lick their lips only to find that their saliva was more goo than fluid.

The second thing they felt was that they were lying on a soft mattress, soft enough to for their body to sink into it, and there was something heavy and large lying on their lap.

The room they woke up in was not as dark as the rest of the Ruins. It was still dark, enough that they could not see the finer details of their surroundings, but at least they could see the outlines. Moving their head, they could make out the outline of a wardrobe, a lamp, and a couple of plush toys on either side of the bed they laid in, as well as a large, dark mass lying by the bedside and on their lap, shifting ever so slightly ever so often.

They tried to sit up, only for the large mass to suddenly jerk straight, standing up tall. They were pressed back down into the bed before they could react.

“No. What are you doing? Stay down.” The entity’s voice was deep, but feminine, its tone harsh and laced with admonishment _._

Frisk laid frozen in place, staring at the entity, _Toriel_ , with held breath. Despite the heat, they felt the goosebumps knitting across their skin. They sweated even harder than before.

They heard Toriel take another deep breath.

“Please, stay down. Do not strain yourself.” Her voice was softer this time, its tone controlled, careful. “I shall be back soon. Use this time to rest.”

And with those final words, Toriel took her leave from the room, pressing the door behind her closed into the doorsill, as quiet as a whisper.

It took Frisk a moment longer before they could muster the courage to sit up, shaking off the dizziness that resulted from it.

“Psst... Over here.”

Frisk leaned over the bedside, and scanned the floor below, but it was too dark to see anything.

“Flowey? Where are you?” they whispered.

“You really can’t see me? Ugh... It’s not safe for me to light up this place. _She’ll_ hear me,” grumbled Flowey, his voice hashed. “Listen. Now’s your chance! She’s distracted now, so get moving.”

“What is she planning to do with me?” Their voice trembled.

“Do you really want to find out?” Flowey huffed.

The sound of a fragile object snapping in half shattered the tension in the room. What _was_ Toriel doing over there? Frisk’s mind began filling with all sort of scenarios, each less pleasant than the last.

 The very thought of what Toriel might have in store for them has filled them with trepidation.

They could feel Flowey’s chiding gaze from behind the veil of darkness.

“Once you leave this room, the way out of the Ruins is downstairs to your left” His voice was cold and impatient. “Go.”

* * *

 

Toriel soaked her forearms in the soapy water. She picked up a plate and began scrubbing away. It was a mindless, easy task that allowed her to be alone with her thoughts, even for a little bit, and helped her calm down whenever she felt the stress, frustration, and helplessness get to her.

She knew that this is not the best use of her time, not when a human child is around, but she needed this. It was nerve racking as it is, staying by their bedside for hours on end, with nothing to hold on to but the prayer in her heart, that they may, eventually, wake up. Doing chores like this helped her regain her sense of control, of order in her life.

Toriel was embarrassed with herself regarding the way she handled the situation with this human. She knew she was overbearing at times, but this time, she took it too far. She must have been scaring the poor thing.

That poor child, whose face and sweater were both already covered in dust when she found them. They were unconscious and covered in bruises both physical and spiritual. They must have seen so much, too much, already.

As soon as she had brought them to safety, she wiped off their face and clothes with a wet towel and healed them to the best of her ability, but that is all she could do, for now.

At least they had been healthy, that is, as far as she could tell. But then again, she knew better than to assume her own judgements are correct. After all, despite her best efforts, despite the hours spent fussing over sick humans, despite the days spent pouring over the old medical books she dug out from the garbage dump, she still could not say she knew enough about human medicine to be able to diagnose human illness.

The memories flashed through her mind. Of a child with a red soul, just like the soul of the current child, soaked in their own blood and other bodily fluids, their face swollen. Of another child, with a cyan soul, laying in the very bed the current child currently laid in, motionless and cold, her eyes wide-open and dull, her mouth hanging open with an unanswered plea-

And those were just the children she lost to _disease_. She thought of a child entombed in the body of a horrible beast, crying in agony as she tried to heal his wounds; she was too panicky and desperate to even try to comfort him. She thought of the five who chose, of their own accord, to step out into an abyss from which they did not return.

Toriel felt the pads at the end of her paws grow raw from how hard she was scrubbing. She set the plate, already pristine for a while now, down and leaned on the counter, trying to control her breathing.

Usually, she was strong enough to carry those burdens in silence. She wasn’t always this high strung. In fact, up until _that_ conversation a few days ago, she was never one to lose her composure.

 She picked up another plate and began scrubbing away.

_It happened when it was only beginning to darken around the Underground, when the killer, while no longer a rumour that could be easily dismissed, had yet to almost entirely empty the Ruins of life._

_It wasn’t often when she bothered herself with matters of the world beyond the door. Today, however, she heard a rumour amongst the ruins monsters: the royal guard were commanded to be extra vigilant of humans._

_Even now, during the part of the day she most looked forward to, she still could not stop thinking about it. Sans’ jokes were as funny as always, but she could not find it within herself to laugh._

_“hey, tori, you k’?”_

_His voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Leaning against the door, she took a deep breath._

_“Sans? There is something I must ask of you”_

_“what is it, tori?” His voice was as casual as it always was. Toriel could only hope he would take her plea seriously._

_“If a human ever comes through this door, could you please, please promise something?”_

_Sans did not reply. She took another deep breath._

_“Watch over them, and protect them, will you not?”_

_Sans remained silent. Did he leave?_

_“Sans?”_

_“i’m sorry, tori, i can’t promise anything, y’see, with the killer on the loose and all-”_

_“Listen, Sans; the killer cannot possibly be human! First and foremost, the only way humans can come into the underground is through this door, this means that there are no humans in the underground right now. The killings cannot be the doings of a human!” She struggled not to yell at him._

_Sans had gone silent again. She could only hope he was listening._

_“Second of all, all humans that have fallen into the Underground thus far have been children. Human children are no different than monster children, Sans! No child could have done this.”_

_“i dunno, tori, i’ve known some seriously evil kids-“_

_“This is not a joke, Sans! This is not something you can just... laugh off!”_

_He had gone silent yet again. She took another deep breath._

_“This is not something I am going to compromise on.”_

_“i’m sorry, but at times like this, you gotta stay vigilant, y’know?”_

_It was Toriel’s turn to go silent. Did he even realise what he was saying? She desperately wanted to believe he that he didn’t, that the person she exchanged jokes with all this time wasn’t the sort of person who do such things._

_This was Asgore all over again._

_She stood there in silence for what felt like a very long time, waiting for Sans to change his mind, or apologise, or anything. When Sans finally spoke, however, he said the last possible thing she wanted to hear._

_“hey, tori, what do you call an-“_

_How dare he?_

__“I am done talking to you. Do not come knocking on this door again.”_ _

_And with those words, she turned and walked away, ignoring his pleas as they echoed down the halls._

She couldn’t understand. How did things go so wrong?! Was she the only person around here who remembered right from wrong?!

The sound of an object snapping in half has, in turn, snapped her out of her thoughts. She stared at the two broken halves of what was once a dinner plate.

But how could she say she is better than _they_ are if she lost this one too? She could not.

She _will_ save this one. She has to.

 

* * *

Frisk swung their legs across the mattress, sweeping the blanket off. They stood on the ground, having to lean on the bedside for a moment when they were taken by dizziness. When they made their way across the room, they took long, careful steps. Occasionally, darkness would overtake their vision for a brief moment, forcing them to lean on the walls or the furniture to maintain their balance and to avoid fainting or falling.

“She’s busy in the kitchen now, as long as you don’t make any sounds, you’ll slip right by her.”

“Thank you, Flowey.”

“Just be careful when you open the door, I’ll be on the other side.”

Frisk gripped the door handle, turned it, and pushed. Only to hear the door, to their horror, creaking ever so slightly.

Flowey glared at them through the crack, sending chills down Frisk’s spine.

 “Didn’t I tell you not to do that?” he hissed.

“Sorry.” Frisk lowered their eyes to the handle, feeling very small under Flowey’s gaze.

Frisk opened the door, just wide enough, as carefully as they could, and slipped through.

“Now hurry up!”

Feeling stronger now, Frisk snuck towards the staircase, too focused on their mission to take in their surroundings. They managed to make their way downstairs without any further ado or noise.

But the moment they placed a leg on the lower ground at the bottom of the stairs, they felt a hand being placed on their shoulder.

“Where are you going, child?” Toriel’s voice was even lower than usual.

Frisk didn’t need any further prompting. They broke into a sprint down the dark hall that awaited them, not even daring to look back.

“Wait, no! Come back!”

Flowey was nowhere to be seen. They turned a corner and saw a door.

Only to have their way set alight by a wall of flames.

They turned around, and saw Toriel standing a few steps behind them. She was glaring past them at the door.

“I cannot let you through, do you understand?”

Frisk clutched their arms to their chest, staring at Toriel, wide-eyed. They shook their head.

Toriel’s eyes hardened, she took another step towards them. Instinctively they took a step backwards, feeling their back come uncomfortably close to the fire.

“The Underground is no place for a human like you.” Though she still faced them, Toriel’s eyes looked to the side, contemplative. “It would be better if you never leave.”

“No!” Even Frisk was surprised at their own outburst.

Toriel looked right through them “Do not make this more difficult than it has to be.”

“I... I want to go home...” Frisk’s voice trembled.

“You are not going to survive out there, you barely survived _here_.” Toriel’s tone was calm and controlled, but her voice, too, trembled upon the last words.

Suddenly, Frisk felt the tug in their chest as their soul was pulled out. Toriel’s hands lit up in flames.

“If this is what I need to do to prove it to you, then so be it.”

And with those words, Toriel began slinging fireballs at Frisk. Frisk was, this time, better prepared and well-rested. They weaved between the fireballs and leaped at Toriel, swinging their fists.

Toriel, in turn, has dodged to the side. The positions of Frisk and Toriel were now switched as Toriel stood with her back to the flames. Frisk wiped their mouth with their sleeve. They watched Toriel for her next move.

With a sweep of her hand, Toriel unleashed a wave of fireballs at Frisk.

Frisk cried out, clutching their arm which was grazed by a fireball. From the corner of their eyes, they could almost see Toriel’s expression softening, for only a moment, before growing hard again.

“This is not necessary, just surrender, and it will end.”

Frisk lunged at Toriel again, striking her with everything they had. Toriel did not cry out at the blow, but she visibly flinched.

Frisk took a step back, horrified at their own actions.

“You... You really hate me that much?” Toriel’s voice shook with suppressed anger.

And with those words, Toriel unleashed one final attack at them: a massive fireball. Still frozen in shock, Frisk barely registered the fireball coming their way; It blew them off their feet and onto the cold, hard ground behind them.

They sat back up, their eyes squeezing shut as they desperately tried to stop the tears from escaping. They began kicking and pushing on the ground, away from Toriel, scrambling to escape.

The soft sizzling of the flames came to a standstill. Still heaving, Frisk gathered the courage to open their eyes, trying to get a glimpse of their impending doom.

The room was dark again. Both the wall of fire and the flames Toriel held in her hands were now extinguished. Toriel stared at them with wide eyes, her mouth agape.

“I... I am so sorry!” her voice was hoarse with shock. She knelt down, reaching out to them “Are you hur- “

“No... no...” Frisk flinched at her touch, struggling to get away. She pulled her hands back to her body, still staring at Frisk.

“You cannot leave, child. Please... stay here, let me-”

“No!”

“The monsters out there are going to kill you, and not only that, there is a killer on the loose!” She cried out.

“I... I have to go...” Frisk whimpered, feeling their eyes tearing up again. “Let me go!” they cried, squeezing their eyes shut.

Toriel’s eyes have softened now, sad and lost rather than admonishing. She looked like she was going to burst into tears.

“At least... stay here and heal. You are injured...” It was a plea, not a command.

Frisk scrambled to stand up. Their sight trained on Toriel, intent and wary. Toriel was frozen, kneeling slouched in her place, staring not at Frisk, but past them, her face drained of emotion.

Suddenly, Toriel reached with her arms out at Frisk. Frisk flinched at the sudden movement, taking a step back and squeezing their eyes shut.

“Oh... right. I am sorry, child.” Toriel pulled her arms to her chest. “I... I shall not stand in your way.”

Toriel stood up, and stridden past Frisk, her head lowered, her face hidden.

A thought crossed Frisk’s mind just as they made their way through the door; She was trying to hug them, wasn’t she?

They probably shouldn’t think about it.

 

* * *

“You managed to get past her? Good job” Flowey sneered at them, his voice sarcastic. “But, if only you listened to my advice to begin with, you wouldn’t have gotten caught in the first place!”

Frisk flinched “I’m sorry. I’ll... I’ll do better next time.

“Well, you better. Now c’mon! Let’s get going before the old hag changes her mind.”

The two of them made their way just a little further before Frisk found themself uttering something.

“She... she wasn’t evil...”

“Huh?”

“Toriel. She wasn’t evil. She was just... Desperate.”

Flowey rolled his eyes. “Look, it’s not like you could have stayed with her anyway...” His face twisted into a hateful sneer. “This woman is not your mom, no matter how much she wishes she could have been.” Flowey’s face then morphed into a warped version of Toriel’s face. “Do you think she would continue to care for you once you grow up? Once you are no longer small and cute?” Flowey’s changed to his usual face, sneering with bitter amusement, his voice sickeningly sweet. “Do you think you could be like... forty, and she’d still call you her child and bake you pie and tuck you in at night?

Frisk looked away from him. They felt their face flush up with embarrassment.

“You’d like that, wouldn’tcha? You’re pathetic like that."

“No... no...”

“Then stop dwelling over her. She isn’t you friend. No one here is your friend except me.”

Just as they reached the ruins door, they found the courage to bring up another thing they had on their mind.

“Flowey, Do you know who Chara is?” They felt embarrassed to even ask this question. They knew that Flowey is probably just going to get mad at them for expecting him to understand the meaning behind their fever dreams.

Flowey’s reaction surprised them. “Chara? Where did you hear that name?!” His voice was full of surprise with just a hint of excitement. His face brightened up again, for the first time since their first meeting, as he gaped at them.

“I... I dreamt about that person, back when I was sleeping at Toriel’s...”

Flowey looked contemplative. “Interesting... that’s... very interesting.” He smiled at them again, brighter than ever before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya. Sorry it's taking a while to update. I generally aim to update every week, but I guess it doesn't always work out. I know I have no real excuse as the chapters are relatively short, but I kind of struggled on the emotional part of this chapter, so it took longer to write than it should have. In hindsight, there are probably better, more subtle, less melodramatic ways to establish character than lengthy inner monologues and angsty flashbacks from their POV. But I couldn't really think of any way to present Toriel's turmoil sufficiently from Frisk's POV because the whole point here is that they misunderstand her, in no small part due to Flowey's misdirection.
> 
> I have some bad news: I'm travelling abroad for about two weeks, and I won't have any access to the internet there, so I won't be able to upload anything during that time. Fortunately, I will be able to continue writing during that time, so hopefully, as soon as I get back, I'll be able to post several chapters in relatively quick succession.
> 
> As usual, constructive criticism (or... criticism in general) is more than welcome. More than compliments, actually. I need it to get better.


	4. Not the Prisoner-Taking Type

"Hey, before we go through that door, kneel down a moment, will ya?"

Frisk knelt down and sat on their knees, their eyes trained on Flowey.

"What for?"

"I want to climb on your back. Y'see, it's awfully cold out there. It's no place for a flower to scurry about."

"You can do that?"

Flowey snorted. "Of course I can, idiot. Now stay still and stop asking so many questions."

Flowey sank into the ground in front of them. For a moment, all they could hear was the sound of rustling dirt, as the mass of vines and roots that made up Flowey went through the earth below. Then, they felt something slither up on the back of their sweater. They tried to stay as still as possible and avoid showing any discomfort, even as they felt chills run down their spine. After all, Flowey was helping them. It's the least they could do for him.  They mustn't be ungrateful.

Flowey wrapped his vines around their torso.

"I'm on, let's go." Flowey's voice came from just beside their right ear.

Thankfully, Flowey, for all his size and mass, wasn't heavy. Frisk stood up, and, using their entire body weight and every ounce of their strength, pushed the ruins door open.

The chill hit their face the moment their skin met the outside air. They winced, squeezing their eyes shut.

“Ugh, don’t be such a baby. You’ll get used to the cold. Just step outside, and try to do it quietly this time. “

Frisk squinted for a moment, and then mustered up the will to open their eyes fully. There wasn’t much to see out there, though; they could just barely see the snow-covered ground right in front of them through their own misted breaths, thanks to Flowey’s light orb, but not much else. The rest of the Underground must be just as dark as the Ruins were.

As a matter of fact, Frisk now realised that the darkness in this place went far beyond just the absence of light, as would be expected of a cavern. The darkness that engulfed this place was like black mist, thick and heavy, untouchable, but fully capable of devouring all light brought into it, nonetheless.

Frisk stepped out, cringing at the squishy sound the hardened snow beneath their feet made. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be so bad, but due to the silence of their surroundings, every noise they made seemed to cut through the air.

Frisk jumped at the loud, booming noise made when the door behind them slammed shut. Their ears rang from the echoes. They looked back behind them, wide eyed and shaking.

“Really?!” Flowey yelled in their ear.

Frisk flinched, “Sorry”.

“Just hurry up and get outta here!”

Frisk begun striding along the path, which was, fortunately, largely clear of dangers and obstacles, save for one large, tough-looking tree branch which Frisk hopped over. But when Frisk had made it several metres past the branch, they suddenly heard a loud cracking noise from behind them.

“Did you hear that?” whispered Flowey, de-summoning his orb, “Don’t move."

Frisk stood frozen in place.

Suddenly, they felt their SOUL being pulled out and Flowey’s vines tug them aside as a white, glowing projectile, with a blurry shape, blew past them, right beside the ear Flowey was whispering into just a moment before.

This time, Flowey’s voice came from beside their other ear, full of panic.

“Run!”

Frisk did not need to be told twice. They broke into a sprint.

They did not get very far, however, before they felt heaviness in their very SOUL pulling them onto the ground.  
Frisk pushed on their elbows.  
They looked back for just long enough to catch a glimpse of yet another flash of white sliding towards them.  
They threw themself aside to dodge.

Meanwhile, Flowey unleashed a wave of bullets at their assailant.  
They heard a loud, otherworldly sound from behind them, As though something blinked out and then back into reality.  
They scrambled up again, fighting the heaviness in their SOUL.  
They resumed their sprint, sneaking quick glances behind them to watch out for any further attacks.

Another flash of light came their way; light blue and much larger than the ones that came before.  
They had no space to dodge. They tried outrunning it.  
They felt it sting them repeatedly. They cried out in pain.

“Blue attacks,” cried Flowey, heaving, “larger range, dodge by staying still!” He unleashed another wave of bullets.

Before Frisk could register his words, they felt themselves being swung aside and their back being slammed into a rough vertical surface.  
Pushing themselves on their hands, they sat up.  
Their head throbbed. They squinted at their attacker, making out a blur of light blue and white and a bit of yellow, small in the distance but getting larger.

A voice hissed in their ear “You can’t fight and you can’t run. What are you good for?!”

Their attacker was closer now. They managed to force their eyes wide open. They could just about make out their attacker’s skeletal face from this distance, which had blank, pitch-black eyes and a toothy smile digging into the cheeks.

“You know what? Just hang in there.” Flowey’s voice took on a strict property now “I’ll be back in a moment. Don’t die!”

“No...”

They felt him slither off of them. They reached out into the darkness, feeling for him.

“Please don’t go...”

They were shaking, covered in cold sweat.  
Flowey was gone. Once again, they had to face the enemy on their own.

They tried to slide up the tree trunk to stand up, only to see half a bone protruding out from the wood, just over their shoulder.  
The enemy was upon them now. Seeing no other choice, they lunged forwards at the enemy.  
Another otherworldly blinking sound pierced their eardrums, and the enemy disappeared.

They took the chance to run out into the darkness again, as far and as fast and as hard as their aching legs could carry them.

It wasn’t long, though, before they saw the light cast off by yet another blue attack.  
They stopped in their tracks, and tried to still their movements, only to feel their SOUL being pulled to the ground again.  
They were slammed onto the ground just as the blue attack went through their body.

Frisk cried out in agony. They struggled to push themselves off the ground, only to find themself being shoved back down.

The enemy was pressing his foot onto their back. Frisk tried to tilt their head to see what he’d do next, but from their position, they could not see a thing. They could however, hear the sound of what seemed to be a laser charging.

This is the end, then. There was no escape from this.

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the darkness.

“SANS! WHERE ARE YOU, YOU LAZYBONES?!”

And then, all at once, they heard the otherworldly blinking sound again, and the weight pressing down on them was lifted.

Frisk took a moment to catch their breath and let the adrenaline wear off before getting back on their feet. Curious, they began making their way towards the direction of the voice, even though they did not expect to find its source in this darkness.

To their surprise, however, they did find the source of this voice; a tall skeleton, holding a torch whose light had a surprisingly long reach, stood farther down the path, a beacon amongst the sea of darkness. The skeleton was in the process of surveying his surroundings, his free hand pressed to his forehead as he scanned the area around him.

“COME OUT ALREADY, SA-“

 The moment the skeleton laid eyes on Frisk, he let out a loud gasp.

“OMYGOSHSANSYOUHAVETOSEETHIS!”

A short skeleton stepped out from the darkness behind the tall figure.

“see what, papyrus?”

Frisk took a step back, and their eyes widened. They began shaking.

That was their attacker from before.

“THAT, SANS, IS A HUMAN!” said Papyrus, pointing at Frisk and beaming, “WHICH MEANS THAT I CAN CAPTURE IT! MY POSITION IN THE ROYAL GUARD IS AS GOOD AS CONFIRMED!”

“i dunno, pap...” although his voice did not betray any of his feelings, Sans’  pitch-black eye sockets looked through Frisk “didn’t undyne tell you to stop hunting for humans for the time being? y’know, with the killer on the loose and all?”

“NONSENSE! THIS WILL BE EASY! JUST LOOK AT THEM!” Papyrus motioned towards Frisk again, “THE VERY SIGHT OF I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAS STRICKEN FEAR INTO THEIR VERY CORE! THIS HUMAN WILL BE CAPTURED LONG BEFORE THE KILLER COULD EVEN FIND OUT ABOUT THEM!”

“to be honest, pap, i don’t really think the problem here is that the killer is going to threaten the human...” said Sans, he took a step in front of Papyrus, still glaring daggers into Frisk, “that said, even if the killer isn’t going to come after them, they might still prove a little difficult to capture, yknow?” The pitch and volume of Sans’ voice had suddenly lowered “after all, it isn’t exactly unheard of around these parts for humans to just kinda... drop dead.”

Frisk felt the chills running down their back, and the goosebumps start knitting into their skin.

“SANS! STOP PLAGUING MY LIFE WITH SUBTLY-OMINOUS, RESOUNDLY-USELESS VAGUENESS!”  Papyrus began stomping into the ground.

“hey, just saying, bro.”

Papyrus let out a loud huff. “ANYWAYS, ALTHOUGH I HAVE NO DOUBT I CAN DO THIS ON MY OWN, I SHALL, UNDER THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF NO ONE IN BUT MYSELF, ENLIST YOUR HELP WITH THE TASK AT HAND. IF THERE’S ONE THING I’M SURE ABOUT, IT’S THAT IT SHALL BE A MUCH BETTER USE FOR YOUR TIME THAN JUST LAZING ABOUT LIKE YOU WERE PROBABLY DOING BEFORE.”

“i dunno if that’s a good idea, pap. i’m not really the prisoner-taking type...” Sans’ last sentence had a markedly darker tone than the rest of his words.

“SEE, SANS? THIS IS WHY THE HUMAN WOULD NEVER SEE _YOU_ AS A THREAT! YOU COULD STAND TO LEARN A THING OR TWO FROM A PROFFESSIONAL! NOW LET’S GO!"

With one swift motion, Papyrus grabbed the back on Sans’ hoodie and began marching off, only to suddenly pause and look back at Frisk, causing them to jump.

“AND AS FOR YOU, HUMAN, PREPARE YOURSELF! FOR WHEN THE TIME COMES FOR YOU AND I TO BUTT HEADS, I SHALL SHOW YOU NO MERCY! YOUR CAPTURE IS IMMINENT! INEVITABLE! INESCAPABLE! NYEH HEH HEH!"

And with that last laugh, Papyrus turned and went away again, for real this time, dragging Sans with him. Frisk let out a breath they did not know they were holding.

They stood in the darkness, still processing the events that had just transpired, for a moment before Flowey popped up from the ground in front of them.

“See? I told you I’d be back.”

“Flowey!” The sight of their friend has filled Frisk with relief “Where did you go? I was so scared...”

Flowey rolled his eyes “You didn’t think that the appearance of that tall idiot skeleton was a coincidence now, did you? If I didn’t bring him over, that smiley trashbag of a skeleton would have made a short work of you.”

“Oh.”

“Not to mention, I did tell you I’d come back, didn’t I?” Flowey glared at them “After everything I did for you, is it really _that_ difficult for you to trust me?”

“I’m... I’m sorry, Flowey. I won’t doubt you again.”

“Good. Glad we’re on the same page. Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, I know this is more than three weeks after my last update, and that I only have one chapter ready. I'm sorry. I didn't get to write nearly as much during my vacation, and also I wanted to take the time to go back and edit some of my previous chapters. I don't actually have a beta. Yeah, I know. I should get one ASAP.
> 
> One of my main goals in this chapter was to practice writing fight scenes, as I felt that all of my previous fight scenes were somewhat lacking, and also somewhat too abrupt. Considering that about 30% of this chapter is a fight scene, I think I managed to improve the on the abrupt part. I'm not sure if I can say the same for the quality.
> 
> As usual, critique of all kinds is very welcome.


	5. Without Fear or Hesitation

The rest of the way was fairly uneventful, even with the threat of Sans looming over them. Frisk followed the path and Flowey’s instructions, trying to get to their destination as quickly as possible. The darkness made it difficult to see anything around them, but nonetheless, Frisk couldn’t help but notice all the dust piles scattered in their path, similar to those in the Ruins, but larger.

Occasionally, the piles would cover other things; a couple of dog treats, a pair of axes, a piece of armour with an emblem on it. Frisk always went out of their way to avoid these dust piles. It didn’t feel right to disturb them.

Eventually, they reached an area which was a little brighter, but no less empty. And for the first time since they’ve fallen down into the Underground, Frisk had the chance to take in their surroundings.

It was a small town, and if the circumstances were any different, Frisk would have felt inclined to describe it as ‘cosy’ or ‘quaint’. It consisted of little wooden houses, their roofs covered in snow, brightening the surroundings through the lights shining through the windows and from the lanterns hanging by their doorsills. To the right of them, Frisk could see a sign, decorated with colourful cloths, with the words _Welcome to Snowdin_ written on it in big, friendly letters.

For a brief moment, the lights made Frisk hesitate. They stopped in their place.

“Huh? What is it?” Flowey nudged them from over their shoulder. “Ah! Don’t worry, no one’s there. They’re just trying to make you think that they are. I checked.”

Frisk nodded and stepped into the town, only to suddenly hear the sound of something crashing into the hardened snow. They froze in their place for a moment as Flowey ducked behind their back, before turning their sights onto the source of the crash.

A yellow entity, not any larger than Frisk themself, with the tail of a dinosaur, a striped poncho, and no arms, laid face down in the snow.

Frisk jumped, their eyes fixed on the entity, when the entity hopped back to their feet. As soon as they stood up, they noticed Frisk, and grinned at them.

“Yo! Are you out exploring too?” said the entity, bouncing in place as they stared at Frisk with wide, friendly eyes.

Frisk could only nod in response.

“Oh man! My parents are going to kill me if they find out I’m out here. But it’s worth it!” The entity beamed. “Unlike them, I’m not afraid of the dark _or_ the killer! I know Undyne will take care of them in no time!”

Frisk kept staring at the entity, which was beginning to get visibly less excited and more uncomfortable at Frisk’s mannerisms and reticence.

“Anyways! I’m running straight ahead to try to see Undyne in action.” The entity turned around. “See ya later, dude!”

And with those final words, the entity ran off.  A few moments later, they stumbled and fell on their face again, only to jump back onto their feet and disappear into the darkness.

Flowey rose up from behind their shoulder. “That one’s a Monster Kid. They’re not much of a danger on their own, but they might be if they tell any adults about you.” Flowey looked contemplative for a moment, and then turned and smiled at Frisk. “Don’tcha worry, though! Right now, they have no reason to suspect a thing.”

“So, umm... what is this place? Why is it so... deserted?”

Flowey rolled his eyes “Does it matter? It all works out to your advantage.  You’re not gonna get attacked out here, and you can search through all these houses, too!”

“Isn’t it... uhh-“

“Are you really upset about stealing stuff?! All these houses used to be inhabited by people who would kill you in a heartbeat. If you want to stand a chance, you’ll do as I tell you.”

 

* * *

 

The first house they’ve been into used to be a convenience shop. Under Flowey’s encouragement, they checked behind the counter, finding two types of monster food, a glove, a bandana, and some money.

Frisk couldn’t be any more grateful for finding food than they were. Their parents never packed them a lot of food for school, nor did they have much food in their fridge. Frisk took the opportunity to scarf down as many cinnamon buns as they could, and stuffed as many of the other type of food, bisicles, down their pockets. They took the time to wrap their head in the bandana as a makeshift bandage against any injuries Sans might have caused them. They also took the money and the gloves.

They were about to leave, so they searched the house one last time, only to find a small note which read only the words “ _Please don’t hurt my family”_.

For some reason, Frisk felt their throat constricting and their chest tightening. They felt nauseous.

“Hey! Snap out of it!” Flowey yelled in their ear, “what’s the matter with you?!”

Frisk tried their best to calm their breathing. It took a couple of moments before they could muster up the will to say what they felt they had to.

“Flowey? Toriel, and those skeletons, and that Monster Kid, they all mentioned, uhh... something about a killer?"

Flowey rolled his eyes. “Look, that killer is the _last_ person you have to worry about. Everyone else are trying to kill you too, remember?”

Although he clearly tried to sound logical, even cold, there was something very aggressive about Flowey’s tone. Frisk decided against pushing the issue.

The house after that was a hotel. Flowey had begun getting more and more impatient at this point, his mood ruined by the events in the previous house, so Frisk has decided against resting there.

The third house was a pub, and there wasn’t anything of note that could be found there, either. Flowey hated it in there, for a reason he refused to explain, so Frisk left as soon as they finished a cursory search.

By the time they got to the fourth house, that had a sign labelled _LIBRARBY_ on the doorsill, Flowey have had enough.

“You know what? You stay here and read through any books here that interest you,” said Flowey “I’ll just go ahead and clear the way for you.”

Frisk stared at the shelves, “What... uhh... should I start wi-“

Flowey rolled his eyes again. “Just any of them. I don’t really care. They all talk about monster history and culture and stuff. Know your enemy, y’know? Anyways, I’m just kind of getting sick of you.”

And with that, Flowey climbed down and slithered off of them. Frisk watched him as he sank into the ground. Praying to themself that he will, eventually, come back.

 

* * *

Frisk spent a few moments riffling through the books. There was a far greater variety of them than Frisk expected, considering it was such a small library. Knowing their time here was limited, Frisk tried to look for books that would give them an advantage of sorts. Maybe that way, they would be less of a burden for Flowey, for once.

Maybe they could even impress him. That thought filled them with excitement.

The first book that managed to catch their attention was a monster history book. However, upon opening it, they were disappointed to find many of the pages ripped or scribbled over. They managed to make out a word here and there, allowing them to deduce that the book’s main topic concerned a pair of former royal siblings, but it was not enough for them to glean any context or useful information out of it.

Upon closing that book, Frisk has decided against returning it to its shelf, instead just leaving it on the table. If the library’s former attendants ever return, they’d probably appreciate knowing that this book was vandalised over having their library in perfect order.

That’s when Frisk noticed another book, this time about the nature of the SOUL. Frisk practically leaped out of their seat to grab it; the monsters were coming after them for their SOUL, and they wanted to know why.

This book was worn, but well kept; holding it in their hands, Frisk could feel the cracks and roughness of the cover on their fingertips, but once they opened the book, the pages were all pristine, almost as though it was new. This book was read and handled often, but treated with utmost respect every time.

The first chapter introduced the very concept of SOULs. In summary, little is known about the absolute nature of the SOUL, what might cause a SOUL to come to be, or the purpose of a SOUL, other than as a source of magical power. However, there are a few facts about SOULs that every monster was to know in order to fully understand their own history, and the true extent of mankind’s sin. In particular, the distinguishing features of human and monster SOULs.

Monster SOULs are plain white, but shining. There was an illustration on the page of an upside down heart, showing what a monster SOUL might look like. Monsters believe that, unlike the SOULs of humans, their SOULs were made of love, hope and compassion. Frisk couldn’t help but exhale a little harder than usual at that assertion.

Human SOULs are, as Frisk has seen before, in the shape of a heart, and they come in every possible colour of the rainbow. The book has, at this point, noted that human SOULs may be the only thing about humans that could conceivably be called ‘beautiful’. Human SOULs are several orders of magnitude more powerful than monster SOULs, and have the peculiar ability to linger around almost indefinitely after death due to reasons unknown to the monster public at the time of writing. The only monster SOULs that have anything close to that ability are boss monster SOULs, which are more powerful than the SOULs of ordinary monsters, but even they can only linger around for a little while before dissipating away like any other monster SOUL.

The second chapter talked about the mechanics of SOUL absorption. In short, while humans cannot absorb human SOULs and monsters cannot absorb monster SOULs, it is possible for either of them to absorb the SOUL of the other. The book then noted that, while it’s not very likely for a human to absorb the SOUL of a monster due to its lifespan, a monster absorbing the SOUL of a human is presented with a rare and valuable opportunity. With all the power imbued in the human SOUL, channelled with their natural magical abilities, a monster with a human SOUL is an immensely powerful, if terrifying, being.

 Frisk felt more and more nauseous with every line. This book might have been meant for education, but to Frisk, this chapter felt more and more like a personal threat with every word. They closed the book for a moment, keeping a finger on the current page, to try to take control over their breathing. They tried to comfort themselves with the thought that at least now they knew why the monsters wanted their SOUL.

Upon re-opening the book and resuming their read, however, they noticed that a large section of the next page was scribbled over, just like in the other book. Perhaps it was for the best.

They decided to move onto the next chapter.

The third chapter talked about a particular attribute of the SOUL, known as LOVE. When Frisk first saw the chapter title, they considered skipping this section entirely, but decided to first give this section a chance by reading through the first few pages. They did not regret that decision.

LOVE is the ability of a person to desensitise themself, to numb their SOUL such that harm done to it hurts less and such that lethal power can be derived from it more efficiently. However, a SOUL, at its conception, has a low LOVE, and the only way for LOVE to be gained is by harming other people. As such, despite the useful qualities of LOVE, monster society frowns upon and shuns people who exhibit LOVE.

Humans with LOVE are especially dangerous to monsters. Monsters are vulnerable to killing intent even more than they are to killing ability. As such, the combination of the natural strength of a human SOUL and LOVE means that a single human, if they so wish, can cut through monsters as though they were made of cobwebs.

“Hey, what book are you reading?”

Flowey’s voice startled them. They were so engrossed in the book, the interruption felt like being awoken from a long sleep.

“Oh! That one’s my favourite,” said Flowey.

“Yeah.” Frisk looked at him. “It’s a good book.”

“Which part are you on?” Flowey extended his stem to take a closer look “The chapter on LOVE? Oh good. It means I don’t have to explain it you. Maybe now that you know, you’ll do as I tell you.”

“How does that work? Can you really make your SOUL stronger by harming others?”  As curious as they were on this topic, Frisk couldn’t help but feel a faint sense of doubt bubble within them upon the last two words of their question.

Flowey grinned. “Y’see, monsters as a whole seem to think that LOVE is something only crazy murderers have, but that’s not true.” Flowey’s face has then grown serious and grim, his voice full of purpose. “LOVE is mental fortitude, the ability to do what needs to be done without fear or hesitation. That’s one of the reasons I wanted you to kill that froggit and that ghost back in the Ruins.” The tone of Flowey’s voice had grown more aggressive with his next words. “But you refused to! What is wrong with you? Why would you _choose_ to be weak? It’s like you _want_ to be a burden to me.”

Frisk thought back to their bullies, and to their current situation, to the helplessness and the frustration they felt every time their own weaknesses, both physical and mental, held them back. They had no doubt now. Flowey was right.

“Flowey, I’m sorry for not understanding before. How do I do it? How can I become stronger?”

Flowey grinned again, his face twisting and growing, baring a set of large, thick teeth. “Finally, you come to your senses. You want to be strong, don’tcha? You want to be without fear or hesitation. There’s nothing better than to be strong. There’s nothing worse than to be weak.” Flowey’s face turned back to his usual shape, his eyes strayed aside from Frisk’s, his gaze filled with longing. “You know? I used to know someone just like you. They were so frustrated at being weak, and when the opportunity arisen for them to become strong, they leaped at it.” Flowey’s eyes then grew sad. “It... uhh... didn’t end well. It wasn’t their fault, though, and it wouldn’t happen again.” His eyes grew determined.

Frisk wanted to ask Flowey about who he meant, but then decided not to. Flowey was in a good mood and they didn’t want to ruin it. They just nodded.

“Anyways, I have a plan to make you stronger. Remember that tall idiot skeleton, Papyrus? Well, he still wants to capture you. He’s not gonna let you go like Toriel did. He’ll make for an easy target.”

Frisk nodded again, a little less enthusiastic this time. They began feeling the cold touch of hesitation spread through their SOUL.

“I’ve prepared some stuff for you in advance.” Flowey’s voice was filled with glee. “You lost your stick and had to fight Toriel bare handed, right? That was dumb of you. Fortunately, I have a much better weapon for you now.” A vine extended from the floor, wrapped around the handle of a shiny knife.”Remember that?”

Frisk took the knife from and examined it. It was a plain, worn knife, with a shiny, clean blade that looked sharp and a simple handle. Somehow, the knife felt familiar to them, but at the same time, they were sure they never seen it before. They shook their head.

Flowey huffed, glaring at them. “Well, you’re going to use that when you fight Papyrus. It’s the best weapon around. You’re very lucky you get to wield it, so don’t screw it up!”

Frisk stood up and headed towards the door, avoiding eye contact with Flowey. Their hand gripped the blade’s handle so tight they could feel the pressure in their fingers.

“Papyrus is just outside the exit to Snowdin. I’ll be watching you from a safe distance, but you’ll have to do this on your own. Good luck.”

 

* * *

 

Stepping out into the cold again gave Frisk quite a shock after having spent so much time in a warm room like the library. Frisk pulled their sleeves to cover up to the middle of their palm and tucked their hands beneath their armpits. They were still gripping their knife in their left hand, feeling the coldness of the flat side of its blade pressed against their arm.

It was getting progressively darker and foggier as they were making their way out of eastern Snowdin. A snowstorm was brewing, growing stronger the further they went out of the town. For a brief moment, Frisk grew worried over the fact that there was no end in sight, but eventually, they made out a tall figure, holding a torch, a beacon in the storm, standing on their path facing them. They made their way towards him.

“HUMAN,” said Papyrus, “YOUR JOURNEY SHALL NOW COME TO ITS CONCLUSION. IT’S TIME FOR ME MAKE GOOD ON MY PROMISES FROM BEFORE, AND CAPTURE YOU POST-HASTE! YOU CAN EXPECT NO MERCY FROM ME!”

  Frisk pulled their hands from their armpits and gripped onto the knife’s handle with both their hands. Their eyes trained on Papyrus, waiting for him the make the first move.

But the first move never came.  Both Frisk and Papyrus stood in their place, each waiting for the other. Papyrus raised the torch, illuminating his face, and Frisk could see his eye sockets arching, which was, probably, the closest expression a skeleton can make to a frown.

“OH! FORGIVE ME, HUMAN, FOR MAKING MYSELF BE MISUNDERSTOOD. AN HONOURABLE OPPONENT, DUE FOR THE ROYAL GUARD, SUCH AS MYSELF, NEVER MAKES THE FIRST MOVE IN BATTLE! STEP FORWARD WHEN YOU ARE READY, AND PREPARE TO BE BOTH AMAZED AND TERRIFIED!” Papyrus grinned at them, sticking his chest out.

Frisk lunged forwards, and broke into a sprint, headed towards Papyrus. They felt their soul being tugged out of their chest. With a sweep of his hand, Papyrus sent a bone inching its way towards them. They didn’t even have to dodge. They just leaped over it. With every step, Papyrus got visibly more and more nervous. He sent more bones their way, only for them to be avoided in the exact same way.

“IMPRESSIVE, HUMAN. YOUR DODGING SKILLS ARE IMMPECCIBLE! I SHALL HOLD BACK NO MORE,” said Papyrus, brandishing one of his biceps, “LET US SEE IF YOU CAN HANDLE MY FABLED ‘BLUE ATTACK’!”

And with those words, Papyrus unleashed another wave of bones at Frisk, taller this time so that Frisk couldn’t merely step over them. All of them, however, were blue. By stopping and holding still every time one of those bones flew over them, they avoided being hurt by those attacks, too.

Until suddenly, they felt a heaviness in their SOUL pulling them down, causing them to fall face first into the snow like the Monster kid from earlier. A bone slid on the ground their way, right into them.

“BEHOLD, HUMAN! MY BLUE ATTACK! NYEH HEH HEH.”

Frisk strained their neck, looking up at their soul which was now coloured dark blue. That must’ve been was Sans did earlier, too. They raised their head some more, glaring at Papyrus.

Papyrus began sending out waves upon waves of bones. Limb by limb, Frisk crawled towards him, dodging his attacks by swinging aside.

Once they closed the distance, they pushed themselves up, struggling against their own SOUL’s downwards pull.  Papyrus took a defensive stance. They threw themselves at him, swinging their knife.

Papyrus’ eyes bulged out, and he recoiled backwards as their knife connected with his sternum.

“NOT BAD, HUMAN,” he croaked.

Frisk fell back down, their SOUL still blue.

They could not ignore the storm now, as it grew stronger and stronger. The winds whistled in their ears, landing cold slaps on their skin. They gripped their knife with all they had, even as their fingers grew stiff and numb from the cold. They struggled to get up and attack Papyrus again, but as soon as they got up, they were blown away backwards.

Squinting through their own snow-ridden eyelashes, they could see that Papyrus was now far away again, completely unaffected by the raging storm around him.

Papyrus unleashed another wave of bones at them.

“YOU KNOW, HUMAN, IT’S UNFORTUNATE WE HAD TO GET DIRECTLY TO OUR FIGHT.”Even with the storm raging around the two of them, Papyrus’ voice was loud and clear.

Frisk only barely dodged Papyrus’ attacks. They once again struggled back to their feet, fighting against both the storm and the heaviness in their SOUL.

“ORIGINALLY, I HAD ALL SORTS OF PLANS FOR YOU. I WANTED TO PUT TO THE TEST ALL MY PUZZLE IDEAS!”

Once again, they began shambling towards Papyrus, holding their forearm over their face. Their every step was a struggle, but at least they found a way to stay on their feet.

They fully expected Papyrus to attack again, but he didn’t. They could see him frowning.

“I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF IMPLEMENTING THEM, BUT MY LAZY GOOD-FOR-NOTHING BROTHER PUT ME OFF OF EVEN TRYING!”

Frisk lunged at him again, swinging their knife. He barely reacted to being hit.

A large bone popped out of the ground, right below Frisk. They fell backwards, barely dodging it.

None of these events could stop Papyrus’ babbling. “HE KEPT GOING ON AND ON ABOUT HOW YOU PROBABLY WOULDN’T EVEN CARE ABOUT SOLVING THEM, AND WHEN HE DID HELP ME WITH IMPLEMENTING THEM, WELL...”

Frisk jumped back on their feet, only to immediately keel over, grasping their knees and heaving. They dropped their knife.

“...HE KEPT CHANGING THEIR DESIGNS, MAKING THEM TOUGHER, MORE DANGEROUS! OF COURSE, I WOULDN’T STAND FOR IT! I AM A SKELETON OF HONOR! I WILL NEVER RESORT TO SUCH CRUDE METHODS.” Papyrus beamed, sticking his chest out. “BUT SANS... SANS IS A DIFFERENT MATTER.” His demeanour fell as quickly as it came, like a deflated balloon.

Even though Papyrus has not attacked in a while, the storm kept beating down on Frisk. They fell onto their knees and hands. Their fingertips were beginning to turn blue.

They grabbed the knife again, and crawled towards Papyrus. Teary eyed and crying out with exhaustion and frustration, they slashed repeatedly at his shins with all they had. But it couldn’t stop him from talking.

“DO YOU GET WHAT I’M SAYING, HUMAN?”

Frisk paused, and lifted their head up, looking Papyrus in the eye.

“HE’S JUST UP AHEAD ON THE ROAD PAST ME. SHOULD YOU GET PAST ME, HE’LL BE, UMM...” Papyrus was sweating. “HE’LL BE WAITING.”

Frisk pulled their knife back to their chest and sat at their knees, glaring up at Papyrus through their tears.

“IT... WELL... IT DOESN’T EVEN MATTER WHETHER YOU’LL SPARE ME OR NOT. You already know what he’ll do, human. Letting you through now would be no different than killing you myself.”

Papyrus’ last statements were a lot more sombre than Frisk thought he was capable of.

Shivering and heaving, Frisk scanned Papyrus head to toe with their eyes. He was a lot worse for the wear since the start of the battle. Their strikes have damaged him quite severely. And yet, he stood tall on his feet, refusing to give in to his injuries.

It was then that Frisk realised that Papyrus has forgone attacking them for a while now, preferring instead to try to talk them into submission, even though it meant risking his own life. Clearly, he did not want to harm them, as a matter of fact, he did not want to see them come to harm, either. Even now, when they were in a vulnerable position, he did not attack; he just stood there, waiting for their next action.

Against their best efforts, they felt their eyes tearing up again. They were not sure whether it was from the winds in their face or not.

There was no chance they could fight Sans again, right? Flowey said Papyrus was an easy target, but the same was not true for Sans, even with what LOVE they could gain from fighting Papyrus. Fighting Papyrus right now was just not a smart thing to do. Choosing not to fight him isn’t being weak, it’s being smart, right?

Flowey would not be happy with them, but they could just explain it to him. They aren’t doing this because they’re choosing to weak, they’re doing it because they’re choosing to be smart. He’ll understand, won’t he?

“Papyrus,” they whimpered, “I surrender.”

Papyrus grinned. His body language relaxed upon hearing Frisk’s words. “GOOD, HUMAN, I KNEW THAT YOU’D COME TO YOUR SENSES EVENTUALLY! AFTER ALL, NO ONE CAN STAND TO FACE THE GREAT PAPYRUS IN COMBAT. NOW, LET ME TAKE YOU AWAY BEFORE YOU CATCH SOMETHING.” He untied his cape from his shoulders, and, with one fluid motion, leaned down, wrapped Frisk in his cape, and picked them up.

Cradling Frisk to his chest and stroking their head, Papyrus walked back into Snowdin, the storm around him calming down with every step he took.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took me so long to update the story again. At least this chapter is extra long. Well, long by my standards, anyways. There are some parts of it which I still find a little iffy, especially the fight against Papyrus at the end of the chapter, but I figured I already gone too long without updating.
> 
> I would like to thank anyone who is still following this, and especially those who left kudos and comments. Critique of all kinds is still welcome.


	6. All Captives are Guests

Papyrus had taken them to a small hut, resembling more of an oversized doghouse than anything else, on the peripheral area of Snowdin, right next to a large house. The inside of the hut was elaborately decorated; on one corner of it, there was a large mass of pillows and a thick blanket, on the other side, there was a dog bowl, filled to the brim with spaghetti which was still steaming hot, and there were all sorts of toys, specifically action figures, and books strewn around on the floor.

Papyrus lowered Frisk on the pillows, and wrapped them in the thick blanket, on top of his cape. Then, he brought the dog bowl close to them.

“HERE, HUMAN. EAT, REST, AND ENTERTAIN YOURSELF! LET IT NEVER BE SAID THAT THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS ANYTHING OTHER THAN A GRACIOUS HOST! EVEN IF THE GUEST IS NOT ALWAYS, WELL, WILLING.” Papyrus was beaming. “I SHALL NOW GO TO SEE WHAT MY BROTHER IS UP TO. TO ENSURE HE HAD NOT FOUND TROUBLE IN THE SHORT TIME IN WHICH HE WAS OUT OF MY WATCHFUL GAZE! NYEH HEH HEH!”

Papyrus then left the room, closing the door behind him with a loud click.

Frisk sat up from their position on the pillows, only to see that Flowey was already there, glaring at them.

“You surrendered to him.”

Frisk took a deep breath. “I had to, Sans was ju-“

“You worthless, pathetic, cowardly idiot!” snapped Flowey,” We agreed you’d kill him!”

“He didn’t want to hurt me,” whimpered Frisk, “he was tryi-“

“No. Were you even paying attention, or are you just this stupid?! That skeleton’s a glory hound, he captured you for his own sake, not yours! Do you think he’ll just let you go once the coast is clear? You naive, pathetic, worthless idiot."

“It’s just tha-“

“You brought this situation on yourself, don’t you realise that? Go. Go to the door. Try to open it. See what happens then!”

Trying their best not to wobble over, Frisk stood up from the pillows, letting the blanket and the cape fall from their shoulders. Once they’ve made their way to the door, they gripped the handle with both hands, only to find that it would not budge. Papyrus has locked the door behind him.

“You naive, wortheless, treacherous idiot.” Flowey breathed his words out. “You’re trapped now, don’t you realise that?! He’s not going to let you go, not until it’s advantageous for him. And trust me, what’s advantageous for him, won’t be for you.”

Still flinching from Flowey’s words, Frisk let go of the handle. “But... if he doesn’t want my SOUL, what does he want from me?”

Suddenly, they heard footsteps, getting louder and louder from jut beyond the door. They froze as they heard Sans’ voice ring out.

“so pap, did you really capture them?”

“WELL, OF COURSE I DID, SANS!” Papyrus’ voice was booming, loud and clear. “YOU CAN EXPECT NO LESS OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS.”

There was a short pause in the conversation, before Sans spoke again.

“heh, never doubted ya, bro. may i see?”

“BUT OF COURSE! HERE, LET ME SHOW YOU.”

Frisk could hear the lock on the door clicking open as Flowey sunk into the ground again. Then, with a loud creak, the door opened, and there stood Sans and Papyrus.

In a flash of panic, Frisk lunged forwards, trying to get past the skeletons and escape into the darkness. But before they had the chance to do that, they felt themself being thrown backwards and pinned to the wall by an invisible force. Their head hitting the wall extra hard. Squinting, they could see that their SOUL has been turned dark blue again, and now its pointed tip was directed at the wall behind them.

“woah there, they nearly run out from just under your nasal cavity.”

Papyrus’ eye sockets widened, looking at Frisk, before he turned to Sans and begun stomping on the ground.

“BE CAREFUL WITH THE HUMAN, SANS! I CAN’T GET INTO THE ROYAL GUARD WITHOUT THEM!”

“oh. sorry, bro.” said Sans, but the grip on Frisk’s SOUL did not cease or even weaken, “say, pap, it’s quite a nice place you set up for them, mind if i take a look?”

Papyrus’ demeanour had calmed down again.”SURE, SANS! COME ON IN.”

Still gripping Frisk’s SOUL, Sans walked into the room and surveyed it.

“oh wow, it really is nice in here. you moved all your toys and books from your room and everything, even-“ Sans leaned down and picked up a book. “ _Peek-a-boo with Fluffy Bunny_.”

“WELL, I DIDN’T BRING _ALL_ MY BOOKS. FOR INSTANCE, I DIDN’T BRING MY PUZZLE CONSTRUCTION BOOKS. THAT WOULD BE GIVING AWAY MY ADVANTAGES TO THE _ENEMY_!” said Papyrus, “BUT I DID LEAVE THEM MY FAVORITE FICTION BOOK! I’M SURE THEY’D ENJOY IT JUST AS MUCH AS I DO.”

“then again, isn’t it kind of a waste, to give them all these amenities when they probably wouldn’t even stay here for that long? you’re gonna have to turn them in soon.”

Papyrus huffed. “MY IMPECCABLE HOSPITALITY IS _NEVER_ A WASTE, SANS! THE HUMAN MIGHT BE MY CAPTIVE, BUT THEY’RE ALSO MY GUEST!” Papyrus leaned down and wrapped his arm around Sans’ shoulder, “YOU SEE SANS, NOT ALL GUESTS ARE CAPTIVES, JUST MOST OF THEM. HOWEVER, ALL CAPTIVES ARE, IN FACT, GUESTS! AND THEY SHOULD BE TREATED AS SUCH!”

“huh, that makes sense. but then again, they wouldn’t stay here for very long. soon, undyne will take them away.”

“ACTUALLY, THAT MIGHT TAKE A WHILE, Y’KNOW, WITH THE KILLER ON THE LOOSE AND ALL.” Papyrus stood up. He was sweating again, just like in their fight with him, his self-assured demeanour showing its cracks. “YOU SEE, UNDYNE’S ARMS ARE FULL SEARCHING FOR THIS KILLER PERSON. I WASN’T EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE HUNTING HUMANS BECAUSE OF THEM. ONCE THE KILLER IS CAUGHT, I’LL HAND IN THE HUMAN.”

“oh. that makes sense, then. i guess i’ll leave it up to you.” Sans sighed, letting his shoulders sag. “i’ll be off now, then.” He let Frisk drop to the ground.

Frisk’s head throbbed and their vision was cloudy. They were too disoriented to try to run again.

“VERY WELL, BROTHER! SEE YOU AROUND.”

And with that, both skeletons left the hut, Papyrus making sure to lock the door behind him again.

Flowey popped out of the ground in front of Frisk, glaring at them.

“Do you know who Undyne is?” Flowey was seething, “Undyne is the captain of the Royal Monster Guard, who hunt down humans like you for a living. She’s one of the most powerful monsters alive, and she _hates_ humans, even by monster standards.”

Frisk’s eyes have widened, they began shaking.

“Once she finds out about you, she’s not gonna stop until you’re _dead_ ,” he spat, “the moment Papyrus gets the chance, he’s gonna sell you to her to further his own best interests. So I suggest you get real comfy here. This is your tomb.”

“No...” Frisk pulled their knees to their chest.

“You brought it on yourself, you know. You didn’t listen to my advice.”

“I’m... I’m sorry.”

“Oh, you’re always ‘sorry this’, and ‘sorry that’, but you don’t mean it one bit, do you.” Flowey smirked at them. It was a mirthless and bitter smirk. “If you were truly sorry, you’d have corrected your behaviour the first time around.”

Absorbing Flowey’s words, Frisk stopped themself from apologizing again. They felt a familiar but unpleasant bitterness fill the front of their mouth and their lower eyelids getting heavier. They pressed their face onto their knees.

“Aww, are you crying now? That means you’re not just a worthless coward and traitor, but a crybaby too!”

Frisk hugged their knees even tighter than before. They tried their best to conceal their sobbing.

“I don’t even know why I’m bothering with you. You’re not worth the time and effort I put into it. You’re not worth anything,” hissed Flowey, “perhaps this time, I’ll learn my lesson and leave you to your fate. You brought this on yourself.”

And with that, Flowey sank into the ground again, leaving Frisk alone.

Frisk spent a while sobbing to themself. It was difficult to measure how for long, exactly, but for Frisk, it felt like an eternity.

Eventually, the sound of the hut’s door creaking reverberated out. Frisk stiffened at they heard footsteps drawing closer to them.

“HELLO, HUMAN, I DECIDED TO COME CHECK ON YOU.” Papyrus was standing over them.

Frisk’s sobbing had stopped by now, as they were getting tired. They just sat there, frozen in their place.

They felt as a hand with no warmth made its way towards their face. They turned away, catching a glimpse of Papyrus’ kneeling form.

They could hear Papyrus sigh. “YOU WORRY ME, HUMAN. YOU SEEM UPSET. AS A MATTER OF FACT, YOU HAVEN’T EVEN EATEN ANY OF THE SPAGHETTI I MADE YOU! YOU JUST LET IT GET COLD! SOMETHING MUST REALLY BE WRONG FOR YOU TO LACK AN APETITE TO SUCH A DEGREE!”

Frisk did not reply, and so, a heavy sheet of silence fell over the room. Soon enough, though, Papyrus had found a way to break the ice again.

“SAY, HUMAN, THERE’S A BOOK I LIKE. HOW ABOUT I READ IT OUT TO YOU? IT’LL BE FUN!”

Frisk had, again, refused to respond. They heard the sound of footsteps, and assumed that Papyrus had, for once, respected their implicit wishes and left them alone.

Soon enough, though, they heard footsteps again, and then a soft thud. They felt a presence right beside them.

“COMFY, HUMAN? BEHOLD! THE FINEST BOOK KNOWN TO MAN AND MONSTER, PEEK-A-BOO WITH FLUFFY BUNNY!” said Papyrus, “I SHALL NOW PROCEED TO READ IT TO YOU IN ITS ENTIRETY. IT’S A GREAT HONOUR, YOU KNOW! I SUGGEST YOU CHERISH EVERY MOMENT OF IT.”

And with that, Frisk could hear the sound of ruffling pages as Papyrus opened the book and begun reading.

It was not a long book. But the more Papyrus read, the more restless Frisk became.

Why was Papyrus pretending to be nice to them? Pretending to care whether they live or die whilst planning to sell them to one of the most powerful monsters alive, who _hates_ humans?

Most importantly, why did they ever choose him over Flowey? Why did they choose their enemy over their only friend? Flowey was right, they really were weak, cowardly and stupid. They didn’t deserve a friend like Flowey.

Not to mention, Papyrus’ voice was so loud and irritating as he kept reading this stupid toddler book to them. It was like shoving knives in their ears. Why couldn’t he just leave them alone?

All this thoughts filled Frisk with frustration, but they remained in their place, quiet and still.

When Papyrus finished reading, he closed the book and set it down.

“THAT ENDING NEVER FAILS TO GET ME! EVEN THOUGH YOU SEEMED UNFAZED BY IT. OH WELL. WASN’T THAT NICE, HUMAN?”

Frisk has, yet again, refused to respond.

Papyrus had let out a sigh. “WELL, HUMAN, I GUESS I SHALL GO NOW. BUT WORRY NOT! I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU HERE BY YOUR LONESOME FOR LONG! I WILL COME BACK SOON.”

Just as Papyrus got up to leave, though, Sans’ voice rung through the door.

“hey pap, you there?”

Papyrus froze for a brief moment, before responding “YES, I AM. WHAT IS IT, BROTHER?”

“well, i visited waterfall where i had just ran into undyne, and it turns out she’s ready to take the human in right now. she’ll be here in an hour.”

Frisk’s head whipped up. They stared at Papyrus, their eyes wide.

“WHAT?! SANS! YOU WEREN’T SUPPOSED TO DO THAT!” Papyrus stomped into the ground.

“why not, pap? you would have needed to do that at one point or another.”

“IT’S JUST... IT’S JUST THAT-” Papyrus took a deep breath. “ _I_ WANTED TO BE THE ONE TO TELL HER, SANS! YOU STOLE MY BIG MOMENT.”

“nah, i’m sorry, bro. but your big moment would be when you actually hand in the human.”

“I... I GUESS...” Papyrus’ demeanour had fallen.

“well, i’ll leave you to it, then.”

They could hear the sounds of footsteps in the snow, watching Papyrus who stayed rooted to the ground. They could hear him manually calming his own breathing.

Eventually, he turned around to face them, his face and voice as cheerful as always.

“WELL, YOU HEARD HIM, HUMAN. UNDYNE WILL BE HERE IN AN HOUR. SO! TRY NOT TO ESCAPE UNTIL THEN.”

And then, Papyrus headed for the door again. Frisk, on the other hand, stood up.

They could still prove Flowey wrong. Now was their chance. If they beat this skeleton, and escape on their own, maybe Flowey would accept it as their apology. They would prove to him that they aren’t a burden anymore.

They didn’t have the knife anymore. But they weren’t going to let it stop them.

The moment Papyrus opened the door, they leaped at him. They both fell onto the floor in a heap of limbs.

“GAH! HUMAN! WHAT ARE YOU- AH!”

Inadvertently, Frisk was positioned on top of Papyrus so that his arm was trapped beneath their body weight in an awkward position. They heard a loud snap. Papyrus began screaming.

Frisk scrambled back onto their feet and sprinted out of the exit, not daring to look behind them at what they did to Papyrus. His cries kept echoing in their ears.

As soon as they got out, though, they realised that they still had no idea where to go. Without Flowey, they were completely lost.

They ran and ran. The snow reached up to their knees, making their pants soggy and their feet heavy. Somehow, it seemed even colder out here than before. Even the fact that they were exerting themself wasn’t enough to heat them up.

Fortunately, it was clear outside. There was no sign of the former storm, and the lights from the houses shone brighter than ever. Snowdin was not a large town, and soon, they managed to make their way to the inn. They slammed the door closed behind them, gulping down air with all they had.

Frisk practically ripped through the desk at the entrance, trying to find something, anything that could possibly help them. But the desk’s shelves and drawers were still as empty as they were when they first searched them.

They were wasting their time.

They sprinted to the inn’s bedrooms, leaping up the staircase. But the only things they could find there were a couple of bedsheets and some old furniture. The evacuating monsters left nothing of use behind.

Disgruntled, they made their way back downstairs. They were prepared to leave when they saw a movement in the window. Even from afar, they could make out what looked like metal. They ducked behind the desk.

Damn it. Wasn’t Undyne only supposed to arrive in Snowdin in an hour? Was it even really Undyne in the window?

They tried to catch their breath. Only to suddenly hear the door’s handle shaking.

“I know you’re in there, human! Come out and face me!”

Her voice was loud and rough, somewhere between a shout and a growl.

She must have seen them through the window. They weren’t fast enough.

She began pounding at the door. They ran upstairs and locked themself in one of the inn’s bedrooms. They pushed the bed against the door to make a barricade.

This was only a temporary solution, though.

A loud snapping sound ripped through the air, right from below. She must’ve gotten through the door downstairs. How long before she gets through their little barricade?

Frisk felt the hold of anxiety climb up their chest and into their throat. They couldn’t stay here, but now they’ve trapped themself. They really were as stupid as Flowey said they were.

Suddenly, they had an idea. They pushed the window open, and, just like they saw in passing on TV once, tied a bunch of bedsheets together, one end tied to the barricade, and the other end thrown through the window.

Undyne was pounding at the room’s door now. They climbed out of the window.

Once they were just outside, they turned around. The door was beginning to crack. Gripping the bedsheet, they dropped off the windowsill.

It was harder to keep their grip than they realised. Their fingers hurt. They were dangling, swinging their legs uncontrollably. They heard a loud snapping sound.

They couldn’t pace themself and soon, their grip gave. They fell just as both the door and the barricade broke down.

Fortunately, the snow broke their fall. They jumped up and began running from the inn. Looking behind them, they caught a glimpse of a figure jumping out of the same window from which they fell.

The whole bedpost thing was a waste of time, they would have been better off jumping down to begin with.

Frisk ran and ran with all they had, but they were getting tired. It was a struggle to lift their feet above the snowline due to how high it was, and due to the added weight of snow in their shoes and on their trousers.

They kept sneaking glances behind them, and just barely managed to dodge a spear that was launched their way.

But they could not keep running and dodging forever. Undyne was taller and stronger than they were, and due to the current clarity of both the darkness and the weather, they had no place to hide.

Their situation has only gotten worse when suddenly, they stumbled, falling flat on their face.

They twisted back to look at Undyne, only to hear a familiar voice hiss out.

“What are you doing?! Get up! Run!”

“Flowey...” they breathed out.

They pushed themself up and resumed their sprint, but it was difficult for them to do so while Flowey was climbing up their legs and onto their torso. They dodged another spear.

Flowey slithered up to just under their face. “Turn here! Escape is just over the corner. Hurry!”

Obeying his directions, they turned around, only to find themself facing metal.

From here, they could see her up close, too close. She easily towered over them, her armour black and bulky, her helmet’s visor resembling a glaring face.

“Nowhere to run now, human!” She summoned another spear and lifted it over her head, its tip directed at them. They felt Flowey nudging them behind their back.

She slammed the spear down. They rolled to the side. Bypassing her and sprinting. They heard her cry out.

“Argh! Human magic?!”

They kept running with all they had. Flowey was by their chest now, bobbing and swinging, struggling to stay attached to them in light of their constant movement.

“Keep- ugh- going! You’re almost there!”

Undyne was not far from them. They could see her elongated shadow in front of them, cast due to a strong light far behind.

They saw a river drawing closer and closer front of them. And in the river, a flat canoe, with a hooded figure in it.

Flowey climbed up in front of their face again. “Are you ready? Jump!”

They leaped onto the canoe.

The hooded figure didn’t even turn around. “Tra-la-la, care for a ride?”

““Yes, please!” Frisk cried out, ducking down just quick enough to dodge a spear aimed at them.

“Then we’re off.”

The canoe rose from the water, and then sped up faster than Frisk could imagine possible, just as Undyne was about to jump onto it too.

Frisk lost their balance, falling onto their back. They turned and looked at the waters behind. Undyne was swimming after them.

Just then however, the canoe sped up again, and Undyne was no longer anywhere to be seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey. Another late update. Sorry. I guess you and I will probably just have to resign to the fact I can't update very fast.  
> Don't worry, though, I have a plan and everything. I'm going to see this through, even if the last chapter of this story comes only after the sun (or worse, the fandom) dies out.  
> The story's rating is beginning to justify itself. Heh.


	7. Between a Rock and a Spear

“Tra-la-la, all this darkness makes it difficult for plants to grow.”

“Yeah,” grumbled Flowey, “tell me about it.”

Still trying to catch their breath, Frisk turned around again, sitting up and looking around at their surroundings. That is, what little surroundings they could see.

The darkness grew thick again. Flowey has lit another orb as soon as Undyne was out of sight, but it was not bright enough to see anything outside the canoe. It was as though they were wading through an endless abyss.

As a matter of fact, Frisk realised there were a lot of strange things about their current situation. The canoe did not bob or sway at all; it remained at a constant, stable level, the way stuff that floats in water usually doesn’t. And other than Flowey’s orb, there were no light sources whatsoever on the canoe. Aren’t these necessary for navigation?

The strangest thing about this canoe, however, was the hooded figure standing in front of them, looking up ahead, presumably steering the boat through a means Frisk could not discern.

“Flowey?” They motioned at the figure. “Who is this?”

“The Riverperson. They take you around from place to place. They aren’t exactly an ally, but they’re not our enemy either. They’re neutral, but a very useful neutral.”

Frisk nodded. “Thank you, Flowey. And also...” They clutched an arm with the hand on their opposing arm and looked down at the floor of the canoe. “Thanks for coming back for me. I’m really sorry for before.”

Flowey scoffed. “Your apologies are still worthless. You still couldn’t bring yourself to finish Papyrus off. You’re still as weak and as pathetic as you always were.”

Frisk pulled their knees over to their chest and rested their chin on them. They were too tired and too ashamed to start crying again.

“But I wasn’t gonna abandon you. I told you I would get you out, didn’t I? We’re friends. Friends don’t go back on their promises.” Flowey’s tone has been getting darker and darker with every word.

Frisk and Flowey sat there in silence for a while, while the canoe kept on its path. Even though Flowey still hanged onto them, Frisk almost felt as though a barrier was erected between the two of them. They needed to break the ice.

“So, um... where are we going?”

“I have an ally who lives not so far from here. She’s... pretty pathetic, even more than you are, and an awful person, to boot. But the two of us need all the help we can get, especially because you refuse to lift a finger to protect yourself.”

Frisk scratched their head. “Well, umm... why do you say that she’s-“

“You’ll see when you get there. Stop asking questions.”

And with that, silence fell over the canoe again. Not wanting to anger Flowey, Frisk made no further attempts at conversation.

They sat like that for a while, until suddenly, the canoe began slowing down.

“Huh? Wait, this isn’t the right place.” Flowey whipped his head towards the Riverperson. “Hey! Why are we stopping?”

They Riverperson did not reply. When the canoe finally stopped, Frisk could feel it lowering down. They made motions to get up, but Flowey stopped them and extinguished his orb.

They sat in darkness for a moment when suddenly, they heard the sound of feet slapping into the ground, getting louder and louder. Before they knew it, an entity burst out of the darkness, leaping onto the canoe.

“Tra-la-la, care to join us?”

The entity, which Frisk could now recognise as the Monster Kid from before, nodded with all their might.

The Riverperson never turned around, “then we’re off.”

The canoe rose from the water and started moving, though at a more moderate pace than before. The Monster kid turned around, and Frisk could see that they were holding a lantern in their mouth. They beamed at Frisk before sitting down, setting the lantern on the floor between their legs.

 “Yo! Were you just sitting here in the darkness this whole time?”

Frisk felt Flowey's vines digging into them. They nodded.

“Well, I don’t blame ya for not remembering to bring a light source. I nearly forgot myself! But man, it’s all worth it for the opportunity to see Undyne up close!”

Frisk froze up.

“Undyne is the best and the strongest! Human or not, she’s gonna beat this killer in no time!” The Monster Kid beamed.

Frisk felt a shiver run up their spine. “Human?”

The Monster kid tilted their head. “Yeah! Didn’t ya hear? There’s a human behind all these killings! I’m surprised no one realised earlier. Only a human would do something like that!”

Frisk felt Flowey snort, as quietly as he possibly could, into the back of their sweater. They didn’t say anything; they just stared at the Monster Kid, lost in thought. The Monster Kid, on the other hand, began looking more and more uncomfortable with every second, their wide smile waning.

Suddenly, a deep, rumbling sound broke the silence. The Monster Kid’s eyes snapped towards their own stomach, widening. Their face grew red, they looked to the side, trying to avoid Frisk’s eyes.

“Sorry... I forgot to bring snacks out with me, and if I went back now, my parents wouldn’t let me go out again. I would miss my chance to see Undyne beat the killer!”

Without thinking, Frisk dug into their pockets and took out a bisicle, holding one end of it towards the Monster kid.

“Here.”

“Wha- really?”

They could feel Flowey bang his head on their back.

“I already ate. I’m not hungry.”

The Monster Kid smiled before leaning down and tearing the Popsicle bit off the stick of the bisicle with their mouth.

“Oh man, that was delicious, where did you get it?” said the Monster Kid, their mouth full.

Frisk did not reply, they just held out the other end of the bisicle.

“Oh wow! You know, you seemed kind of weird at first, but you’re actually really nice!”

Frisk smiled. Sharing their bisicles with someone who needed it filled them with warm and fuzzy feelings.

It was not long after the Monster Kid has finished eating, however, when the boat stopped again.

“Right,” said the Monster Kid, “this is my stop.”

They picked up their lantern and hopped off the boat, before looking setting it back down on the riverbank and looking back at Frisk.

“Hey, you coming?”

Frisk tried to get up, only to feel Flowey’s vines pulling them back. They shook their head.

“Well, it was really nice travelling with you. See ya later, dude!”

And with that, the canoe took off, while the Monster Kid disappeared into the darkness.

Frisk felt Flowey slither up their back again, sliding up his coiling vines. He leaned over their shoulder, glaring at them, centimetres away from their face. Lighting his orb right behind him as though he was interrogating them.

“ _You_ ,” he growled, “have never offered _me_ any bisicles.”

Frisk winced. “I’m sorry. Here, would you like so-“

“Don’t bother. I hate bisicles.”

“Oh.”

“But that’s beyond the point,” he hissed, “can’t you understand? That Monster Kid is rooting for your demise. They may seem nice now, but the moment they find out you’re human, that will all change.”

Frisk looked away from Flowey. “I... I thought I could-“

“What, change their mind?” Flowey’s face grew deformed again, like a twisted version of Toriel’s face.

Frisk squeezed their eyes shut and nodded.

“Aww, you just wanna make friends, don’tcha?”

Frisk felt Flowey’s forehead press into their own. They pulled away, opening their eyes. He was smirking at them.

“Wow, you’re not just an idiot, you’re a special type of idiot!”

Frisk felt Flowey’s vines squeeze around them. They froze.

“Or maybe... despite everything I’ve done for you, you still-“ Flowey’s smirk has fallen. He glared at them again. “You still don’t trust me. You keep disobeying me not matter how stupid it is. You’re looking to befriend people who hurt you even though _I_ should be more than enough. You... you _hate_ me, don’t you.”

“No! No. I don’t hate you! I... I trust you! I really do!” Frisk’s face felt warm and their mouth felt bitter. They had a lump in their throat. “You’re... you’re my friend. You’re my only friend, ever.”

Flowey pulled away and loosened his vines. He looked to the side, his eyes narrowed.

“Well, then, you better start showing it. Because so far, you haven’t been a very good friend to _me._ ”

They sat in silence for the rest of the ride.

 

* * *

 

Eventually, the canoe stopped, and Flowey motioned at Frisk to move.

“Come again some time. Tra la la.”

Frisk made a motion to wave at the Riverperson, but Flowey tilted their head forwards and wouldn’t let them turn back.

The darkness around them was getting overbearing. Even Flowey’s orb couldn’t quite allow them to see far enough. So they had to depend on him to guide their steps.

They walked in complete silence in what seemed like an endless, pitch black abyss, with nothing but the sounds of their footsteps and Flowey’s grip around them to keep them rooted to reality, when suddenly, something glowed cyan around them.

Flowers, one after another, rose up and opened their petals around them. Frisk looked to Flowey for explanation.

“Echo Flowers,” he said.

“Why are they... umm... “

Flowey smiled. “Kneel down and press your ears to one of them.” He loosened his grip.

Frisk dropped to their knees and bent down, leaning over one of the flowers.

“ _-and press your ears to one of them_ ”

Frisk sat up, beaming. “Wow, this is cool!”

“I know, right? Try to listen to it again!”

“ _Try to listen to it again!_ ”

Frisk whipped their head towards Flowey. “They do this every time?”

“ _They do this every time?_ ”

“Well,” said Flowey, still smiling, “there’s your answer.”

“This is really neat!”

“Yeah...” Flowey looked wistful. “The Underground may be dangerous, but there’s still some nice stuff to be found here. I bet there’s better stuff on the surface, though.”

Frisk looked down. “I don’t really know, I never really got the chance to leave my hometown...” They looked up again, staring at the field of glowing flowers that surrounded them. “This is the most incredible thing I ever seen.”

With those words, however, Flowey’s demeanour had fallen again. His smile faded and he looked away from them.

Frisk felt him slithering off.

“Well, now that it’s no longer dark, I think you should be able to make the rest of the way to Alphys on your own. Even for you, it should be safe enough,” said Flowey, “I need to go a little ahead to make sure the way is clear. So, um... see ya.”

Flowey sank into the ground again.

 

* * *

 

For the first time since they’ve fallen into the Underground, Frisk felt at ease. They spent a couple of minutes playing with the echo flowers, making silly voices and saying anything that comes to mind, then giggling when they heard their own words directed back at them.

However, they knew that they couldn’t delay for too long. After all, they mustn’t keep Flowey waiting.

When they had their fill of playing with the echo flowers, they begun making their way down the path through the flower fields.

Other than the flowers, there really wasn’t much to note about their surroundings. Although the ground was illuminated by the luminescent flowers, it was still too dark to see anything from afar. Occasionally, Frisk felt inclined to kneel down and listen to the flowers around them, without saying anything to alter the echo the flowers would give out. But all the flowers on the path were strangely silent.

Eventually, however, they managed to make out something in the horizon that stood out from the cyan of the echo flowers: a red-orange glow.

They made their way towards it, feeling as their surroundings got hotter and hotter with every step. Eventually, it got too hot, and they had to stop and resign to examining the orange glow from a distance.

The source of the orange glow extended far above even the tallest flowers, but it was most intense low down. From where they were, they could see that there were no flowers around the bottom of it, and they could make out the fact that the source of the glow was constantly shifting. Occasionally, little sparks would come out of it, before flickering and disappearing into the darkness.

 _Lava_. Pouring out from the side of a cliff.

Frisk decided to go back on the path. It would be dangerous to come any closer.

Even following the path, however, they begun seeing a gradual decrease in the echo flowers around them. Fortunately, however, the glow from the increasingly sparsely-spread flowers by the path seemed to be brighter than before, allowing them to see more of their surroundings.

The ground beneath their feet was rocky. The flowers were growing from between boulders and rocks, and from the bottom of the cliff face.

Suddenly, a voice broke through the silence.

“Human!”

Frisk looked up. They saw something flash cyan up above.

They started running, leaping over rocks and boulders, not daring to look back or up.

But they had to stop when a wall of spears jutted out of the ground right in front of them. They turned around.

Undyne had jumped down from her leverage point, and she was now striding towards them. Her every step was followed by the clunk of metal, as her heavy boots thumped into the ground over and over again. They could see the light from the spear she was wielding reflect off her armor.

They had no place to run.

When she was only meters from them, she stopped, and, with one fluid motion, raised her spear and pointed it at them.

“You... nothing is ever enough for you humans,” she growled, “not only do you trap us down here to claim the world for yourself, but even when we pose no danger to you, you still go out of your way to make us suffer!”

Frisk felt the tip of her spear touch their neck. They stepped back, cringing.

“But! Your kind’s reign ends here, ends now!” They could see one of her eyes flash behind her helmet’s visor. “We monsters need seven human SOULs to break the barrier. We have six. With your SOUL, we will finally have our vengeance.”

Frisk felt goosebumps knitting themselves up from the small of their back to above the nape of their neck. They felt nauseous.

 _Humanity_ is at stake here?

They felt their breathing go more and more shallow, they felt dizzy.

They really wished Flowey was here.

“Just so you know, despite your cowardice, your treachery, your cruelty, you failed to do one thing.” They could _hear_ her smirking. “Papyrus had escaped your grasp. He survived.”

Frisk found themself letting out a sigh of relief.

“and that, is the still the only thing about you that I could ever imagine myself being thankful for.” Her voice grew rough and bitter. “Even if we get to the surface, your actions have irrevocably devastated our kind.”

They could feel the tip of her spear press into their neck again. They took another step back.  Their hands, which swung by their sides, hit the spears behind them. The surface of these spears felt smooth and cool to the touch.

“I already hated you enough before, ever since you started your murder spree. But after what you did to Shyren, to my comrades in the guard, and now to Papyrus... you made it _personal_.”

“I... I didn’t-“

“Oh, don’t try to pretend you _didn’t!_ ” she shouted, “I _know_ what you are, it was written all over your face ever since I first laid my eye on you. I can see that you tried to wipe the dust off your clothes. But you’ll never be able to wipe away your sins!”

Wincing, they grasped the hilt of the spear behind them.

“It’s time you faced justice, huma-“ Undyne paused as Frisk pulled up the spear behind them and held it with both hands.

They mustered up the will to glare at her.

“Finally,” she growled, her voice rough but loud and clear, “the human stops running away, and faces me in honourable battle!”

She pulled the spear back, holding it by her side, and de-summoned the spears behind Frisk, leaving only the one in their hands.

“Come forth when you’re ready. And when you do, prepare to die!”

However, as soon as the spears behind them where gone, Frisk turned around and broke into a sprint again.

“Wait, no! You can’t do that! Come back here, you little punk!”

They kept running, sneaking glances back for her attacks. They dodged a spear.

They hopped on a boulder, barely dodging another spear. Running on top of an uneven layer of rocks, jumping over smaller cracks and weaving between the larger ones, dodging spears the whole time.

They saw a gap ahead of them, too wide to just jump over, but not too deep for their spear. They raised their spear up, holding it over their shoulder.

Their feet kept hitting the rocks beneath at a faster and faster pace, as they ran with all they had, the tip of their spear pointed ahead. They accelerated... Only to find themself slowing down again.

They stopped entirely as they reached the gap, lowering their spear.

They spent a moment looking at the gap, trying to think of a way through. They snuck a glance behind, only to see Undyne’s form growing larger, and another spear, too.

They tried to dodge. They stumbled and fell into the gap.

Their chin crashed into the rocky ground, and immediately went numb. Hearing the sound of magic from above, they grabbed for their spear and rolled onto their back.

Spears were raining from high above. They rolled to dodge, swinging their spear in the process.

Upon making contact with their spear, one of the projectile spears disappeared.

Frisk got back on their feet just as a bright cyan light loomed over them, blurry but wide. Before they could register what was going on, something crashed into the ground. They could feel the bedrock beneath their feet crack.

And then another spear was pointed at them.

“You, human, have absolutely no honor of your own!”

Undyne raised her spear and pointed up. They could just about see their own SOUL turning green before waves upon waves of spears begun flying at them from every possible direction.

With their back to the wall, Frisk could only swing their own spear with all they had and hope for the best.

“Alphys had shown me how humans throughout history used to have a code of honor as a source of their strength. But you? You abuse your human strength! You only ever go after those weaker than you!”

Wait, Alphys?

A low-aimed spear caught in the cloth of the leg of their pants, pinning it to the floor. Still swinging their spear, they struggled to break free.

“But no more! Unlike with you, my honor _is_ my strength! As long as I have it, I know that I will never falter!”

Undyne raised her spear in the air again, preparing another attack.

Before that attack could be launched, however, a deep rumbling sound echoed out from beneath the ground.

And then the ground started shaking. Pebbles and cobbles bounced around, clicking against the ground and each other, falling between the cracks.

The ground started rising up. Frisk nearly lost their balance.

All of Undyne’s spears disappeared, including the one in Frisks’ hands. Their SOUL turned red again.

“Hey, what is going on here?” shouted Undyne, “are you behind this?!” She drew another spear and pointed it at Frisk.

Frisk shook their head.

When the platform they were on was at the same level of the rocky cliffs that surrounded them, it stopped.

“AND NOW, THE MOMENT YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR...” a voice boomed.

A light came on at them from up above, making a blinking sound when it turned on.

“OUR HEROINE, UNDYNE, CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD, WILL STRIKE THE KILLER HUMAN DOWN! EXCLUSIVE ON THE METTATON SHOW!”    

Frisk froze.

They were on TV?

With one smooth motion, Undyne ripped her helmet off her head and throw it to the ground, revealing a blue, fish-like face and long red hair.  She glared at an unspecified point high behind Frisk.

“Mettaton! You are interfering with Royal Guard business!”

Not daring to entirely turn away from Undyne, Frisk glanced behind them, catching a glimpse of what appeared to be a metal rectangle with glowing buttons. They snapped back to Undyne, however, when they heard that familiar sharp sound indicating she had drawn her spear.

“UNDYNE, DARLING. IT CAN HARDLY BE CALLED INTEREFERING NOW, CAN IT? WE’RE ON THE SAME SIDE. NOT TO MENTION, OUR PEOPLE NEED MORALE IN THESE TRYING TIMES, AND WHAT BETTER TO BOOST THEIR MORALE THAN SEEING YOUR GRAND HEROIC MOMENT?”

Undyne looked to the side. Her eyes narrowed.

“Well, I... I suppose you have a point.” Her voice was low and sombre.

Then, all at once, a spear materialised in the air in front of Frisk. Frisk fumbled around to catch it, almost letting it fall to the ground. Her eyes locked onto Frisk, narrowed and focused.

“Now, human, there will be no more interruptions, and no more running away! Allow this to distract you at your own peril!”

She lunged at them, spear first. They threw themself aside.

“OOH YES! THE HUMAN BARELY ESCAPES OUR HEROINE’S RIGHTEOUS STRIKE!”

Frisk scrambled back on their feet and ran to the other side of the platform, trying to get as far away from Undyne as they could. They had to stop just as they reached the edge.

“TRYING TO RUN? I’M AFRAID THAT’S NOT GONNA WORK OUT FOR YOU, DARLING!”

A laugh track sounded in the distance.

They barely dodged a spear that was thrown at them, only to see Undyne lunging at them again.

“AND SHE CHARGES AGAIN!”

They blocked her spear with their own.

“THE HUMAN USES OUR HEROINE’S HONOR AGAINST HER! BUT FOR HOW LONG?”

She pushed on her spear harder, leaving Frisk to struggle against her push.

“FACE TO FACE, SPEAR TO SPEAR, ONLY ONE SHALL PREVAIL!”

They could see Undyne’s face twist. Her eyebrows tightened together. She was grimacing.

With a deep, loud growl, Undyne spear dug under their own, knocking their spear out of their hands up into the air.

She lifted her spear up above her head. They barely managed to dodge her strike by throwing themself aside.

Leaning on their elbows, they could see that their spear was nowhere to be seen on the platform.

Undyne brought her spear down again on them. The scrambled on their feet just in time to escape it.

“OOH! SO CLOSE!”

They sprinted to the middle of the platform, giving themself as much room to manoeuvre as possible. Undyne began circling them, her spear drawn.

“SO TENSE!”

Then suddenly, Undyne lifted her spear up in the air. Their SOUL had turned green once more.

And then, she begun walking towards them. Not sprinting. Not lunging towards them spear first, like before. Just walking.

Frisk wanted to run, but no matter how hard they tried, their feet remained pinned to the ground. They couldn’t move.

A smirk adorned Undyne’s face, sharp pointed teeth from one cheek to the next, even as her eyes remained locked on Frisk, still glaring.

 “WELL WELL. FINALLY, THE HUMAN’S DEMISE IS AT HAND!”

“Damn right...” said Undyne from under her breath.

Undyne was upon them now, still smirking. She lifted her spear above her head.

“AND NOW, OUR HEROINE WILL STRIKE DOWN HER MIGHTY FOE.”

Frisk shook in place. They squeezed their eyes shut.

“OH YES! HER MIGHTY, HORRIBLE FOE, COMPLETELY AT HER MERCY!”

For some reason, Undyne has yet to strike them. Too terrified to fully open their eyes, Frisk squinted.

“HER MIGHTY FOE! THEIR WEAPON GONE! THEIR ABILITY TO RUN OR DODGE OR DO ANYTHING TO PROTECT THEMSELF, GONE!”

Undyne just stood there, holding her spear above her head. Her smirk has faded.

“HER MOST DANGEROUS FOE! WHO NEVER EVEN TRIED TO ATTACK HER, MERELY SURVIVE!  WHAT A GLORIOUS AND FAIR BATTLE!”

 “Shut up...” Undyne’s growl was deep, and so low Frisk wasn’t even sure if they even heard it right.

Mettaton, certainly, didn’t.

“OHH YESS! WHAT A PERFECT TIME FOR A HEROIC SPEECH, FIT ONLY FOR A TRUE HEROINE!”

“I said _shut up_!” roared Undyne, glaring at Mettaton, “you had no business getting involved in this to begin with, let alone profiting off of this like the dirty treacherous human-loving glory-hound you are!”

Frisk felt a muffled booming vibration from beneath their feet. Undyne and Mettaton, however, didn’t notice.

“HUMAN LOVING? YOU MUST BE MISTAKEN. AM I NOT A HUMAN ERADICATION ROBOT?”

Undyne grimaced, “this whole time, you have never lifted a finger to help me against this human!”

Frisk felt yet another boom.

“OH NO! HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY SURVIVE AGAINST THIS HUMAN ON YOUR OWN? CLEARLY, THAT’S TOO BIG A CHALLENGE FOR YOU TO FACE ALONE!”

Undyne to the side, her eyes narrowed.

“This is a _human_. They deserve no honor or mercy, because they don’t have any.”

“AH, BUT DID YOU NOT GIVE THEM A SPEAR EARLIER IN THE NAME OF HONOR? WHY, UNDYNE, YOU’RE BEING INCONSISTENT HERE. IT’S ALMOST LIKE YOU’RE GIVING UP ON YOUR HONOR BECAUSE YOU GOT TOO FRUSTRATED!”

“Shut up!”

Suddenly, a loud cracking sound ripped through the air. And then, the ground that made up the platform started splitting apart, the largest crack forming right in the middle, right between Frisk and Undyne.

Frisk’s SOUL turned red once more. Just in time for both sides of the platform to start collapsing. They lost their balance.

“No!” cried Undyne.

They desperately scrambled forwards to grasp onto the platform’s edge as it fell.

As soon as the platform hit the ground, however, they lost their grip and were sent tumbling down. They crashed onto the rocky ground and lost consciousness.

 

* * *

 

“Hey! Wake up!”

Something soft rubbed against their cheek, pushing against them.

“C’mon! It can’t end like that!”

The _something_ pushed again, more forceful this time.

And then, it stopped.

It paused for a moment. Frisk begun feeling the pain echo through their bones and slice through their skull.

“Wake up!” The words were being shouted, this time, panicked and desperate.

There was another pause. Frisk could hear something shuffling, and the clicking sound of rocks being knocked around.

“...Please?” this time, the words were whimpered.

Not having the strength to open their eyes quite yet, Frisk squinted.

Flowey was leaning just inches away from their face, his eyes wide.

“Oh! Phew! You’re okay.” Flowey breathed his words out, his face softening. “Hey, don’t do that again! I got really worried. It was just like... just like when...” Flowey paused for a moment, looking to the side, frowning, “...nevermind.”

Frisk sat up, clutching their head, which was pounding. They felt something damp and sticky on their forehead.

After lowering their hands to where they could see them, they saw blood on their fingers. They felt feint.

“Hey, don’t worry! I healed you. Just pick yourself up and you should be good as new.”

Frisk tried to smile at Flowey in gratitude, only to feel their face tightening together from pain. They let out a whimper.

“Huh, I guess I missed a spot. Here.”

Flowey summoned a magical orb, which glowed green, and then sent it flying towards Frisk.

All at once, Frisk felt better.

“Thank you, Flowey.” They took a deep breath. “ I... I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“Don’t mention it. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

Frisk nodded and stood up, stilling for a moment to let Flowey climb on.

“So, umm... where are we going?”

Flowey motioned at one of the cliffs. “There is a secret tunnel in there, leading upwards. From there, Alphys’ lab is not far. We should get going before someone finds you.”

“Umm... about that-“

“What, is there an issue?” Flowey’s eyes narrowed.

“Well... Undyne mentioned Alphys earlier, and-“

“Undyne doesn’t know Alphys is on our side.”

“Oh.”

“Is that it, then?”

Frisk shook their head, they felt their stomach lurch at the thought. “There’s umm... Metatton-”

Flowey smirked.

“So, he found you, hadn’t he?”

Frisk nodded.

“Well, guess what? Now every monster in the Underground knows all about you, or rather, they will, the moment today’s episode airs!”

“Wait, so it wasn’t live?” Frisk exhaled in relief.

“No, but don’t kid yourself. We’re not gonna stop that episode from airing.”

Frisk their stomach lurch again. They began growing nauseous with anxiety.

“But hey! Look at the bright side!” Flowey’s eyes grew into black pits with little pinpoints of white, his smile grew jagged and twisted, also pitch black. “You’re gonna be sooo famous and popular now! It’s just what you wanted, isn’t it?”

Frisk squeezed their eyes shut and shook their head.

“Well, consider it your punishment for not knowing who your true friends are, then.” They could feel Flowey’s breath on their face. “It’s a fitting one, don’t you think?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is really late, even by my standards. I'm really sorry!
> 
> I just wanted to take the time to thank everyone who is still reading and following this. Thank you for your patience and your kind reviews!


	8. I Married a Serial Killer! The Mettaton Story

Following Flowey’s directions, Frisk made their way up the stairwell in the caverns and from there, kept following the cliff sides. With no echo flowers to light their way, Frisk only had Flowey’s orb to depend on for visibility.

Eventually, however, the darkness gave, just a little, when something orange glowed from just over the cliff edges around them.

Flowey nudged at them. “See that? Lava. You better not fall. You’ll doom us both.”

Frisk nodded.

After walking some more, Frisk found themself in front of a large, square, white building, which was largely nondescript, apart from a few pipes at the top, a sign with the word _LAB_ written on it in red letters and a plain, featureless door.

As soon as they reached the door, they paused.

“Shouldn’t there be, umm... a doorbell?“

“Nope, this is a REALLY old building, and back in the old days, royal scientists weren’t really supposed to be the kind of people who receive unprompted guests,” said Flowey, “in fact, it’s one of the reasons I called her pathetic. She’s the ROYAL SCIENTIST. And yet she couldn’t even add a doorbell, or a way to see we are who we are from inside.” Flowey chuckled. “That’s a good thing, though. It means she’ll open the door for us if you knock.”

 “But... didn’t you say that she’s an ally?“

“Oh, she’ll help us, alright. It’s just that she’ll need some... convincing. Anyways, stop asking so many questions and just knock on the door.”

Frisk took a deep breath, then, they lifted up their arm, curling their palm into a fist. They brought their hand closer to the door... and ended up pressing their knuckles on it.

“Ugh. You can’t even bring yourself to hit a _door_? Knock harder.”

Not wanting to disappoint Flowey, Frisk hit the door with as much force as they could muster. Their knuckles hurt.

Then, a vine grabbed their arm. They heard footsteps from beyond the door.

And yet, the door did not open.

“Wait, I have an idea,” said Flowey, “first, hold still and let me get off you. Then, start banging on the door with everything you have, but otherwise, stay silent.” They felt him slither off.

As soon as Flowey was on the ground again. Frisk attacked the door, fists swinging.

A cry came from behind them in a voice they did not recognise, “let me in! Please! They’re killing us! Please! You have to let me in!”

They glanced behind them to see Flowey chuckling. He stopped for a brief moment to glare at them.

They resumed their banging. The skin on their forearms chafed against the wool of their sweater, scraping off skin and the plaster they forgot they put on there days ago.

They stopped as they heard a buzz from beyond the door. And then, the door’s panels slid open. Frisk let their arms drop to their side and stood there, frozen.

A yellow lizard with a white labcoat stared at them with wide eyes which were magnified by a cloudy pair of glasses. She, too, stood frozen.

Frisk made a motion to step in.

“No! D-don’t come any closer!” cried the lizard, “I’ll slam the door on you!” She was clutching a remote to her chest with both hands, her thumbs over the button.

“Now, that wouldn’t be a good idea, Alphys.” Frisk felt Flowey slither past their feet, his vines coiling around the door panels.

Alphys’ eyes darted back and forth between Flowey and Frisk.

“Y-you can’t come in here,” she whimpered.

Frisk felt a tug at their leg as Flowey motioned them to come in. The door’s panes made grinding sounds from either side of them, and yet the door could not close. A thin sheet of dust fell from the doorframe.

They lifted a leg up and hopped over Flowey’s vines into the lab. The door slammed shut behind them.

This room was dimly lit, and looked like a hurricane had blasted through it. The floor and was strewn with garbage and crumpled papers, with extra tall piles where Frisk assumed there was once furniture. They could feel the cold moisture in the air latch into their skin and clothes, as though they had stepped into a cloud. It smelled so musty in there they had to resort to breathing through their mouth. The air was bitter.

However, there one piece of furniture in the room that wasn’t covered in garbage: A large, widescreen showing a low-quality, live feed display, focusing on Flowey and on them.

Frisk shuddered.

Alphys’ was slouching, still clutching the remote to her chest. From up close, Frisk could see the bags under her eyes.

“So, Dr Alphys! You know why we’re here, don’t you?” Flowey’s voice had a sense of false cheerfulness to it. “You’ve been watching us.”

“Y- you really can’t be here!” She turned to Frisk with a pleading look in her eyes. “If anyone knew you were here, they’d... they’d...” Alphys dropped the remote and grabbed her head, squeezing her eyes shut.

“They’d panic, won’t they?” Flowey slithered closer to Alphys, “so, in other words, it’s in your best interest to give us what we want so we’ll leave as soon as possible.”

Alphys’ slouched even further, her knees bending. She turned away from Flowey.

Flowey sank into the ground and popped up right below her. “Y’see, you can’t escape the consequences of your creations so easily. Your robot has been causing my friend here even more trouble than your _beloved_ Undyne.” Alphys flinched at the name. “Undyne may be strong, but she only has her spears to support her now. Mettaton, on the other hand, has a full arsenal of technology and weaponry at his disposal. Technology and weaponry that was created by you.”

Frisk could hear Alphys wheezing. Trying to calm herself down. Flowey was glaring at her, his stem raised to the point his face was right in front of hers. Ignoring the dull ache they felt in their chest and not knowing what else to do, Frisk just stared.

After a long, awkward moment with nothing Alphys’ wheezing to break the silence, she finally relaxed. Her face softened, albeit into a look of resignation rather than peace. She let her arms drop to her sides

“I... I know. I saw the broadcast — and the original footage, too.” Her voice was quiet and controlled. The sides of her lips cracked a little upwards. She let out a soft, sad chuckle. “It’s... it’s amazing how much a scene can be changed through editing... it’s like its own form of magic...”

Frisk’s heart sank. Staring at Alphys with dead eyes, they were beginning to see Flowey’s point about her.

“Then, you know our problem.” Flowey glowered at Alphys.

 “Look, I can’t help you.” Alphys shook her head. She turned away from Flowey again, holding into one of her arms with the opposite hand. “I... I can’t even let anyone know I had anything to do with you.”

“You don’t have a choice, Alphys.” Flowey’s voice dripped with venom. “We’re not leaving until you agree to help us. And, just so you know, if this human-” He pointed to Frisk. “-dies. I’ll hold you personally responsible. And, well...” He extended his stem, twisting so that his face comes close to hers again. “You don’t want to make me angry. I can absolutely destroy you, Alphys, even without ever coming close to you again. I can make Undyne hate you, Alphys.  I can make _everyone_ hate you. I wouldn’t even have to lie. They’ll all see you for what you are.”

“I... I know.” Her face tightened up again. She looked like she was going to cry.

“And besides, it’s the right thing to do, if that even means anything to you. After all, the human’s innocent, aren’t they?”

Although she didn’t face them, Alphys’ pupils fixed onto Frisk for a moment, before she went back to staring at the ground.

“Yes,” she murmured after a brief pause, “they are.”

Frisk thought of Papyrus.

“Actually,” they interjected, “I’m not really an innocent. I-“

The glare Flowey shot them left the rest of that sentence hanging from their tongue. They closed their mouth and gulped.

“And last, but not least,” Flowey turned to Alphys again, “you _owe_ me, don’t you?”

“Yes,” said Alphys, holding one arm with the opposite hand, “I do. You’re right. I’ll... I’ll help you.”

Flowey beamed, “Good, I knew you’d come around. So, do you have any ideas about how we might be able to deal with Mettaton?”

“Well, umm... I... I don’t know any of Mettaton’s planned scripts, but...” Alphys turned to one of the paper piles to the side and begun digging through the papers, “I can- I can help you deal with them as they come! And _maybe_ disarm some of the technology he uses!” She uncovered a smaller monitor and a keyboard, and pulled out a mouse.

“So... you can hack into his system?” said Frisk, leaning over Alphys to look the monitor.

Flowey snickered. “Of course not, idiot. Hacking doesn’t work like that.”

“Oh.” Frisk was filled with embarrassment.

“W-well, Flowey is right. It’s not hacking. But-!” Alphys begun typing, her fingers moving across the keyboard so quickly Frisk could hardly follow. “I have access to the systems Mettaton would use. So I should be able to remotely disable some of their functions if he uses them against you.”

“Can’t you disable them entirely, then? Before he gets the chance to use them?” Frisk fiddled with hem of their sweater, twisting it between their fingers.

“I could. But, if I did that, Mettaton would want to know the cause of the malfunction... and... I-“ Alphys’ breath hitched. “-I can’t have him finding out about this. I can’t have _anyone_ finding out about this.”

“You didn’t think you could get off this scot-free now, did you?” Flowey popped up right in front of Frisk, extending his stem up so his face drew closer to theirs. “I’m not gonna let you die. But honestly? Sometimes, you just have to get punished when you’re being stupid. That’s the only way you’ll learn.”

Frisk looked away, holding one arm with the opposite hand.

After a long, awkward moment, with only typing noises to fill the air, Alphys riffled through the papers again and pulled out something.

“Here.” Alphys handed Frisk a small phone. “Th-this way, we can keep in touch, and I’ll be able to help you deal with whatever Mettaton throws at you.”

Frisk examined the phone from all sides. It felt smooth and cold to the touch.

“I-it has all sort of features, like... umm...” Alphys fidgeted her fingers. “It’s waterproof! And electricity-proof! And extremely sturdy! And it’s connected to the internet through a Vee-Pee-Ehn to the surface which means that’s it’s encrypted and-“

“Alphys.” Flowey wrapped a vine around her arm. “Don’t bother with the technical stuff. They won’t understand it. Hey-”He turned to Frisk. “- _do_ you understand it?”

Frisk shook their head.

“W-well, it means that you can’t be traced back to me — And I can’t be traced back to you! So— It’s safer.”

“Right.” Flowey snickered. “Safer for you, that is, and your reputation. And that’s all you really care about.”

Alphys gulped, then took a deep breath, “so, umm... can you go now? Both of you? I gave you what you wanted.”

Frisk nodded and begun heading towards the other exit, looking back Flowey to see if he would follow. But Flowey remained rooted in his place, glaring at Alphys.

“Hey, how do we know you’re not going to abandon us to our luck? Leave us hanging?”

Alphys clutched her arms to her chest. “I’m- I’m not-“

“You know what? I think I’ll stay here with you.” Flowey smirked. “Make sure you hold on to your side of the deal.”

“B-but-!” Alphys’ breath hitched again. She squeaked.

“You-” He turned to Frisk. “-can go right on ahead. We’ll keep watch for you.”

Frisk stood frozen in place for a moment, staring at the two of them. Flowey glared back.

“What are you waiting for? Go.”

 

* * *

As relieved as Frisk was to be able to breathe freely again, they couldn’t help but feel anxious the moment they stepped out of the lab. They really wished Flowey was with them.

As soon as they got far enough from the lab that it couldn’t be seen, however, they felt a buzz in their pocket. When they answered the phone, Alphys’ voice came through.

“Hey, umm... I just wanted to make sure it works.”

“Oh, so you _weren’t_ sure before?” They could hear Flowey’s distorted voice from beyond the other side. “You should have tested it out earlier!”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t think of it!”

They heard a click, and then the call ended.

Just as they were about to put their phone back in their pocket, however, it buzzed again, and a message appeared on the screen.

_‘this is how were fgoing to communiacate from now on. Its more discrreet this way. ok?”_

Frisk sent a message back, ‘ _Ye’_

_‘therees an elecator rigth ahead, just keep folloeing the path. It should lead yoiu higher, closer to rhe surface.’_

_‘Ok’_

_‘good. oh and jut 1 last thing’_

 The message ‘ _Alphys is writing’_ appeared on and off on the screen repeatedly for a few moments before the second part of Alphys’ message appeared on the screen.

_‘Like I said, I don’t know any of MTT’s scripts, but if his past work is any indication, they’re not gonna be kind to you. Be careful, ok?’_

Frisk’s breath hitched. They shoved the phone deep in their pocket again.

They strode off, looking straight ahead. Trying to distract themself from thinking about it.

They reached a platform connected to what looked like a metal conveyor belt which was moving at above a walking pace. The conveyor belt extended so far out they could not see anything at the other end of it. Not seeing any other way forward, they took their phone and texted Alphys.

‘ _Should I?’_

_‘Its ffine, I dont  think mtt will set up a trap this early on.’_

Frisk put their phone back in their pocket and stepped onto the conveyor belt.

Moving on the conveyor belt was an interesting experience. If it wasn’t for the circumstances, Frisk probably would have enjoyed it. Occasionally, Frisk would try to run in the reverse direction to where the belt moved, just to see if they could if they needed to. It was a futile, as what little progress they made was overpowered by the belt in a matter of milliseconds, but surprisingly fun, like running up the down escalator.

Frisk was just about to relax when suddenly, the pace of the conveyor belt accelerated. Feeling the grip of panic at their windpipe, they tried sprinting back. They tumbled onto the belt, chin first.

They were dizzy, the pain in their chin made their entire face feel numb.

The phone in their pocket was buzzing the whole time. But their head was spinning and their eyes were blurry. They were too disoriented to reach for it.

They fell from conveyor belt to conveyor belt. Some were longer than the others. But each one was faster than the one before, going in different directions.

Until eventually, the final belt came to an abrupt halt, sending them rolling off the end.

 

* * *

 

_‘It sounds like it came from over here...’_

“WHEN THIS NEW HUMAN FELL INTO THE UNDERGROUND, A KIND SOUL COULD NOT HELP BUT TAKE PITY”

_‘Oh! You’ve fallen down, haven’t you...’_

“INTRIGUED BY THE PRINCE’S STORY, HE ELECTED TO COME TO THE HUMAN’S AID’

_‘Are you okay?’_

“LITTLE DID HE KNOW...”

_‘Here, get up...’_

“...THAT THIS HUMAN WOULD NOT BE ONE TO BRING HOPE TO THE UNDERGROUND”

_‘...’_

“AND THAT BY COMING TO THEIR AID...”

_‘Chara, huh?’_

“...HE WOULD BE SETTING HIMSELF FOR NOTHING BUT SUFFERING.”

_‘That’s a nice name.’_

“ALAS, SUCH IS THE PRICE THAT MUST BE PAID FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING.”

_‘My name is—‘_

Frisk opened their eyes, only to end up squinting. Everything was just too _bright_ up above. Their head was pounding from voices coming from both outside and inside their skull. It was so hot that their skin felt sticky all over their body.

They still couldn’t feel their chin.

Too weak to make any other movements, they ran their fingers through the ground below them. It was seemingly made up of several smaller strands which stuck out. Each strand having a rough circular centre at its end that had several softer, small, thin-textured _things_ attached to it—

—Flowers, again.

They could hear Mettaton clearing his throat.

“FORGIVE ME, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. WE ARE EXPERIENCING MINOR TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. BUT BELIEVE ME, THIS PROGRAM WILL BE WELL WORTH IT.”

Then, they were hit by a litre of water from above. Crying out, they sat up.

“GOOD. OUR GUEST HAS FINALLY WOKEN UP. NICE OF YOU TO JOIN US, DARLING!”

A laugh track played.

Frisk winced, holding on to their head with one hand. They squinted at the scene around them.

The flowerbed in which they were sitting was easily larger than the one in the Ruins, spanning the size of a small room.  Just beyond the flowerbed, in front of them, they could see what looked like a TV studio. To one side, there was darkness, with only a few small lights surrounding what looked like a glass lens — probably a camera. On The other side, there was a room consisting of an armchair, a couch and a counter, behind which Mettaton, clad in a red suit with a yellow tie, stood. The room was surrounded by large wallpaper with the picture of skyscrapers on it. There were large black screens hanging from above, visible from every place in the studio.

“WHY DON’T YOU TAKE A SEAT UP HERE?” Mettaton motioned towards the armchair. “THAT FLOWERBED CAN’T BE VERY COMFORTABLE.”

Frisk glared at him.

 _“_ WELL, WELL, WELL. WELLY WELL WELL. WELL WELLY WELL WELL, WELL WELL WELLY. LET ME ASK YOU THAT AGAIN.”

Something metallic buzzed and clanked to the side, and then, the long muzzle of an elaborately futuristic gun poked out. Frisk spent a few seconds staring at it.

Then, light begun accumulating at the muzzle’s tip. Frisk leaped to their feet just in time to avoid the laser beam that hit the spot where they were sitting just a moment before.

“SO. WHY DON’T YOU. TAKE A SEAT.”

Still shaking from the adrenaline, and eyeing the muzzle as it kept following them, Frisk made their way towards the armchair, and lowered themself down to it.

As soon as they sat down, however, a metal belt wrapped around their hips. Frisk’s hands whipped towards the belt, gripping it and trying to pull. They twisted in place. The sweat hung to their back as they kept trying to break free. Panting and struggling, kicking their heels against the legs of the chair. Their fingers on the belt were turning white.

 But it was to no avail, they were pinned down to their chair.

“COMFY? WELL, YOU BETTER HOPE. YOU’RE GONNA BE STAYING LIKE THAT!”

A laugh track played, again.

It was then that Frisk became aware, once again, of the buzzing of the phone in their pocket. But with the belt blocking the way, they could not reach it.

Though they were still gripping the belt, their head snapped up when they heard the sound of mechanical whirring and buzzing again. And then something big began moving in the dark, just beyond where the camera was. When the big thing came to a stop with a loud clank, Frisk could make out that there were a lot of smaller moving silhouettes on it—

—Moving figures. People. A crowd watching them from the dark.

Frisk could hardly breathe.

“NOW THAT BOTH YOU AND OUR SPECIAL GUEST ARE IN PLACE, EVERYONE GIVE A BIG HAND TO OUR WONDERFUL GUEST!”

Confetti began raining all over Frisk, and at the same time, the audience erupted into an orchestra of boos and jeers, stringing together hateful words and ill wishes. Chaotic, but united in their hatred towards Frisk. An orchestra with Mettaton as the conductor

A multitude of items, each one less pleasant than the last, balls of slime, wet, putrid rags, pieces of garbage, rained down both around and on them. Frisk lowered their head and squeezed their eyes shut, trying to turn away from the crowd. They tried to stop the tears from escaping their lashes.

They froze when they heard something explode beside them and something small and hard hit them in the head. Squinting, they could see a smoking bile of rubble just beside them. The muzzle of the gun, too, was smoking. A semi-transparent yellow energy field materialised between the audience and the stage.

“NOW NOW. NO BULLETS OR HARD OBJECTS. WE CAN’T KILL OUR GUEST YET. WHAT KIND OF HOST WOULD I BE IF I ALLOWED THAT?”

Frisk leaned over, their chest to their lap, and buried their face in their hands.

“AND NOW, LET ME INTRODUCE... OUR GUEST’S BRAVE VICTIM! COME OUT, DON’T BE SHY!”

The crowd broke into applause and cheers, but nonetheless, the harsh sounds of heavy wheels rolling across the floor still reverberated through Frisk. Their face remained buried in their hands as noises overwhelmed them from all sides.

They heard Mettaton clearing his throat again as the crowd quietened down.

“TAKE A SEAT.”

They heard the sound of heavy fabrics ruffling against each other.

“SO, IS THIS THE HUMAN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT?”

“WHY, YES! THIS IS THE ONE! I AM SOO GRATEFUL YOU WERE ABLE TO CAPTURE THEM! I COULD NEVER BE WITHOUT FEAR AS LONG AS THEY WERE ON THE LOOSE!”

The second voice sounded just like Mettaton, but with a higher pitch. Frisk found themself lifting their face up from their hands, to try to see the source of the voice.

There was another Mettaton sitting on the couch. Unlike the other Mettaton, he was wearing an elaborately-designed, sparkly dress which reached down to the floor.

Frisk spent a moment staring at the two Mettatons in disbelief, deaf to their conversation and only occasionally noticing the audience’s laughter ringing in the background. And then it hit them: Metatton’s a robot; there was nothing stopping him from having two bodies.

They felt bile rise up in their throat again.

This only made things worse for them.

They were zapped out of their thoughts as they felt _something_ build up inside them, only to erupt into pain shooting like spikes up their body. They cried out _._

“GOOD MORNING, HUMAN. NICE OF YOU TO JOIN US AGAIN. EVEN IF YOU NEEDED A LITTLE... JOLT UP YOUR SYSTEM,” said the suit-wearing Mettaton.

A wave of laughter tore through the crowd.

 “ANYWAYS, NOW THAT YOU’RE BACK. I WOULD LIKE YOU TO KNOW THAT I JUST ASKED YOU A QUESTION. DO YOU MIND ANSWERING?”

Frisk clutched at their chest, which felt like it burning from inside.

“I’LL REPEAT IT FOR YOU: HAVE YOU STOPPED BEATING YOUR HUSBAND YET?”

“What? No! I-“

“ANND THERE YOU HEAR IT! THE HUMAN CONFESSES THEIR HEINOUS CRIMES! AND THEY SHOW NO INTENTIONS OF STOPPING, EITHER!”

The crowd started booing and jeering again at Frisk. Every screen in the studio came to life, displaying the words _‘IS THERE NO END TO THE HUMAN’S DASTARDLY WAYS?’_ in big, flashing letters.

Frisk wished they could disappear into their seat.

“AND THAT’S NOT ALL!” cried the dress-wearing Mettaton, “THEY ALSO CHEATED ON ME!”

Suit-wearing Mettaton gasped. “BUT WITH WHOM?!”

“SO MANY PEOPLE! TOO MANY TO COUNT!”

“HUMAN! CAN YOU DENY ANY OF THESE ALLEGATIONS?”

“I’m... I...“ Frisk struggled not to cry. “I don’t understa—“

“WRONG ANSWER!”

Frisk cried out as pain shot up their body again, like knives slicing up their veins. The crowd laughed.

A small screen rose from just below the camera, in a place where it could only be seen from stage but not by the crowd, displaying the words:  ’ _Muahaha, you fool! I never loved you!’_

Frisk stared at it with teary eyes, struggling to understand.

“WELL?” the suit-wearing Mettaton tapped his fingers on the counter.

Frisk lowered their head.

‘Muah ha ha” they whimpered, “you fool... I never loved you...”

The suit-wearing Mettaton gasped even louder “OH, THE HUMANITY!”

“YOU ARE BREAKING MY HEART,” cried the dress-wearing Mettaton.

Glancing up, Frisk could see that the text on the screen flashed the words, _‘hang in there’_ for less than a second, before changing to say _‘I was merely using you, and you fell for it.’_

They summoned up the courage to raise their head.

“I was merely using you,” they said, their voice hoarse, “and you fell for it.”

Even though the tone of their voice was soft, the glare they shot at the Mettatons was anything but.

The suit-wearing Mettaton pressed both his palms to where his cheeks would have been if he had a face. “OH, THE SHAMELESSNESS!”

“HOW COULD I BE SUCH A FOOL?!” The dress-wearing Mettaton pressed the back of his hand to his forehead, his fingers limp.

Suddenly, and alarm sounded, and the screens above switched into a picture of a figure sprinting across a maze of platforms made of metal grates.

Frisk froze.

_Undyne._

“WELL WELL WELL,” said the suit wearing Mettaton, “TIME FOR THE NEXT SEGMENT OF TODAY’S SHOW: THE CONFRONTATION AT THE VILLAIN’S LAIR!”

The crowd begun cheering again, louder than ever, as the scene around them changed.

The skyscrapers wallpaper withdrew to the ground, revealing that the ground they were standing on was a large, round cliff, elevated about twenty metres above an ocean of lava. Frisk could _see_ the air in the area beyond the edge moving due to the heat.

“HELP!”

Dress-wearing Mettaton’s cry broke through the air. Frisk whipped their head towards him, and saw that he was now suspended over the lava, from a metal chain, his hands tied behind his back.

Suit-wearing Mettaton, however, was nowhere to be seen.

The audience were gasping and murmuring with excitement and horror in equal parts.

All at once, the belt and the chair withdrew from below Frisk. Sending them falling on their butt. And then, before they could register what was happening, a heavy piece of black cloth fell on their shoulder and was tightened around their neck. A hood was flipped from behind them onto their head, covering their forehead and eyes.

Blindly, they scrambled back to their feet, trying not to let their cape weigh them down.

“OH GOODNESS! WON’T ANYONE COME TO MY AID?!”

“NGHHHHHHHHHAAAAAA!”

Just as they balanced themself, Frisk was knocked off their feet when something slammed so hard into the ground that the entire platform shook. The hood of their cape still obstructed their view.

“Human!” shouted Undyne, “I finally found—! you?”

The crowd roared with cheer.

Raising their hood from their forehead with a few of their fingers, Frisk glanced up at Undyne, who, in contrast to her confident stance, now took an expression on her face akin to that of a deer in headlights.

“Mettaton, what— what are you doing?!”

“UNDYNE! MY HERO! ONLY YOU CAN HELP ME NOW! SAVE ME FROM THE HUMAN!”

Frisk pushed the hood off their head, and began inching away from Undyne and Mettaton, looking for escape routes.

“Wait, are you really going to tell me that the _human_ did this?! Rounded up this crowd, set up the scene, captured you and tied you up?!”

“OHH YES! THAT HUMAN’S DEVIOUSENESS KNOW NO BOUNDS!”

Undyne crossed her arms and tapped on her foot.

“Are you really expecting me to believe that?!”

The crowd laughed.

“WHAT OTHER EXPLANATION DO YOU HAVE?”

“Stop making a joke out of this! This human is dangerous. You can’t just toy with them like that!”

“OHH UNDYNE! IF ONLY I LISTENED TO YOU! BUT ALAS, I WAS ENSNARED BY THEIR CHARMS!”

“That’s not what I meant you glitzed-up pile of scrap metal!”

All of a sudden, a voice erupted from the crowd, “they’re getting away!”

Frisk froze in place as, all at once, all eyes turned to them again. Undyne materialised a spear in her hands.

“You know what, Mettaton? Nevermind! I have far more important matters to deal with.”

The crowd roared as Undyne charged at Frisk.

Frisk rolled to the side and leaped on their feet.

Before they could run, however, spears burst out of the ground all around them.

They pulled out two spears and turned to face Undyne.

Mettaton gasped. “TWO SPEARS? WHAT COULD THIS WILY HUMAN BE PLANNING?”

Undyne, on the other hand, was snickering at Frisk. “You have no idea what you’re doing.”

With the spear in her hand pointed at Frisk, Undyne advanced.

Crossing their spears, Frisk took a step back.

She lunged at them again. They caught her spear between their spears, just above their head, locking it in place.

Without even looking as though she was exerting herself, Undyne pressed down on the spear intersection.

The spears they were holding shook as Frisk struggled to hold them in place. They could feel their grip slipping.

But despite their best effort, the spear intersection grew wider and wider, bringing Undyne’s spear closer upon their head.

They managed to take a step back just as the lock broke.

Her spear slashed on their shoulder. They cried and dropped the spear they held with that arm.

“Ha! Do you like that?” Undyne was smirking at them, but despite her confident demeanour, Frisk could see she was huffing. Sweat piled on her forehead in large, clear drops.

Frisk winced, trying to clutch the spear they still had with the hand of their injured arm. They took another step back.

Though she was fatigued, Undyne still smirked. Step by step, she was closing in on them.

Suddenly, the loud sound of metal creaking echoed across the cave. All at once, the crowd switched from cheering to screaming. Mettaton, too, let out a loud metallic cry that sounded surprisingly genuine.

Both combatants froze. Frisk looked around the room.

The platform on which the crowd was sitting has rotated, almost perpendicular to where it was. The audience held on to their seats. Mettaton has slipped down the chain, much lower than he was before. He kept swinging in place.

“UNDYNE! THE AUDIENCE!”

“B-but-!” her head whipped from Frisk, the audience, and Mettaton repeatedly. Her face twisted in confusion and alarm.

She turned around and leaped at Mettaton.

Frisk took the opportunity to run.

They sprinted away as the sounds of screaming and metal creaking echoed in their ears.

They did not stop until everything was silent.


	9. An Undue Process

Frisk was leaning over their knees, wheezing. Their phone buzzed. They shoved their hand in their pockets and pulled it out.

Alphys’ voice came through, “human, are you-“

“Were you the one who nearly killed those people?!” their voice trembled. They were shaking.

“I... well... we—“

“Look,” Flowey’s voice broke through, “it was the only way to save you. Mind explaining, Alphys?”

““W-well, it’s just that... that-“ Alphys's breathing was so heavy that Frisk could almost feel it on their face. “-most of the systems involved could only be controlled locally. So only by Mettaton. It was set up that way because-“

“Stay on topic, Alphys,” said Flowey.

“Well... we had to- to use whichever tools were available to us...” said Alphys. “It’s fine though! Undyne saved them. It’s fine! It’s all fine...”

“Besides,” said Flowey, “why do you care about these people, anyways?! These people are all idiots and bigots. Always ready to tear into anyone’s that’s different than them! They’re pure scum! They’re no better than humans! Did you see how they mocked you? How they even dared mocking the time you fell here?! Nothing is sacred to these people. They deserved it!”

Frisk’s breath grew more and more shallow. Their face grew hot and their lower eyelids heavy. They clutched at their chest as it felt as though it burned inside. The open wound on their shoulder ached, the blood made their shirt stick to them even more than the sweat did. They could hear Flowey’s breathing on the phone, loud and heavy.

After a brief, but awkward moment, they heard Alphys’ quiet voice come on the phone. “Human, I... uhh... the reason I called you, is that... ummm...” She was panting. “I... I wanted to know if you’re okay.”

They were getting tired of hearing her voice. “I’m fine.”

“It’s just that—that you seemed really hurt back there and-“

“I said I’m fine!”

They shut the phone and shoved it deep within their pocket. Then, they unclasped their cape and let the fabric pool by their feet.

They felt the phone buzz again. Huffing, they took it out and looked at the screen _‘ddon’t stay there for to long. MTT wil find u’_

It filled them with irritation.

They shoved the phone back in their pocket and stomped off, kicking the cape by their feet.

 

* * *

They walked and walked, lost in thought and twisted in anxiety. The scenery around them blurred, cliffs, rocks, lava, darkness. Eventually, they reached and elevator.

Their phone buzzed again. _‘good news, this elvator goes far up, specially if u take the highest floor, wich is wat u shuld do.’_

They were about to put their phone back when it buzzed yet again. _‘bad news, all areas it goes to are ctrled by mtt. srry.’_

Their eyes glazed over. They stared at the screen and felt nothing.

The words ‘ _Alphys is writing...’_ hanged on the screen for a while longer. It startled Frisk when her next message was posted: _‘btw, I’m really sorry I couldn’t warn you about the prev one, or help you deal with it.’_

 _‘It’s fine.’_ They _didn’t_ feel fine, but they doubted Alphys could help, or would.

_‘No, really. Im sorry i just left you to hang like that. I want to help you.’_

They huffed, but kept looking at the screen as it once again displayed the words ’ _Alphys is writing...’_

_‘maby you could put your phone in a more accessible position so that i can giv you advice even f he constricts you again’_

_‘I only have pockets in my pants’_

_‘oh’_

They were about to shove the phone back in their pocket when it buzzed yet again.

_‘nvm, then, i’ll figure out another way to help you. I promise.’_

They raised an eyebrow. Why was she putting so much effort into this charade? They felt an odd feeling bubble in their chest. They tried to silence it, but couldn’t muster up the will to do so.

An idea popped in their head. They rolled the phone in the inside of the bottom of their sweater, and held it like that with one hand. They weren’t sure why they bothered, they doubted Alphys would make true on her words. But they nonetheless felt inclined to do it.

One step later, they were in the elevator, still holding their phone through their sweater. They  slumped against the back wall as the door closed.

They were about to nod off to the soft mechanical ambience and the dim light when the elevator stopped. The doors cracked open, causing the harsh light from outside to fill their eyes.

“AND NOW, A METTATON SPECIAL FEATURE: THE COURT OF JUSTICE!”

Frisk grimaced as the sound of clapping reverberated through the elevator. They tried to comfort themself with the fact that this time, they knew it was coming.

Two Mettatons, both wearing blue cop uniforms, rolled out from the light. “YOU’RE COMING WITH US, DARLING!”

Frisk was kicking, pushing themself backwards, almost as though trying to disappear into the wall behind them. Their back flattened against the hard surface. The Mettatons rolled to either side of them and picked them up by their arms, just above the elbows. Their grips like the claws of a bird of prey. Frisk kept struggling, but ceased when one of the Mettatons placed his hand on their injured shoulder and squeezed. They swallowed their cry.

Frisk gripped the phone through their sweater as the Mettatons dragged them out of the elevator, and into a large room, filled with rows upon rows of empty benches, with the two front ones being shorter than the others. To the front, there was a raised bench, behind which another Mettaton, wearing black robes and a wig made of rolls of white hair, stood. Next to that bench, there was a stand with a microphone, and some several rows of benches where multiple Mettatons sat, wearing a wide variety of attires.

The Mettatons brought them to the front and sat them by one of the front benches. The Mettaton to their right pulled on their arm. He grabbed them by the wrist, ripping their fingers from their sweater, and slammed their hand on the table. A loud ‘click’ pierced the air their hand was handcuffed.

In their free hand, the sweat in their palms and between their fingers made their grip on the phone slippery. They tightened their grip until they could feel the pressure in their fingers.

“RIGHT,” said the Mettaton that stood behind the raised bench. “THIS IS CASE 2.1.1.5, THE PEOPLE V. THE HUMAN. PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME, DEFENDANT.”

Frisk took a deep breath. “My name is-“

“OH. NO ONE ACTUALLY CARES. THIS WAS JUST A QUESTION ASKED FOR THE SAKE OF PROCEDURE! DOWN HERE, WE TAKE THE PROCESS OF LAW VERY SERIOUSLY, DARLING!”

A laugh track echoed across the courtroom.  Frisk lowered their head.

“HUMAN DEFENDANT, YOU ARE HEREBY ACCUSED OF... HMM... LET ME SEE.” The judge Mettaton pulled out a scroll and opened it over the bench. The scroll’s lower half rolled out past the edge and fell to the floor. The paper was at least ten meters long.

Another laugh track sounded out.

“OH DEAR. IF I TRY TO READ ALL THESE ITEMS, WE’LL BE HERE FOR QUITE A WHILE!”

Yet another laugh track.

“LET ME TRY TO SUMMARISE THEM: MURDER, THIEVERY, ASSAULT. MULTIPLE COUNTS OF EACH OF THOSE, TOO! WHAT ELSE... AH, YES. BEING A HUMAN, BREAKING AND ENTERING, SABOTAGE OF THE GREAT ROYAL SCIENTIST ALPHYS’ HARD WORK.” Mettaton paused and coughed for a moment, before continuing. “OH MY! WHAT DO YOU PLEAD, HUMAN?”

The phone buzzed in their palm. Shining through the small holes in the sweater they could see the words ‘ _Not Guilty.’_

“N-not guilty, your honor!”

“NOT GUILTY? WELL WELL. LOOKS LIKE WE’RE IN FOR THE LEGAL FIGHT OF THE CENTURY, FOLKS! WITH ANY LUCK, WE’LL BE ABLE TO STOP IT FROM BECOMING AN ACTUAL FIGHT.”

Frisk’s breath hitched. Actual?

A familiar warcry echoed through the room, getting louder and louder. Something heavy crashed into the benches behind them. They felt the tip of a spear touch the back of their neck.

They narrowed their eyes and huffed, pressing the phone screen to their belly to hide it.

Undyne’s rough voice came from behind. “Human! It is time to-”

“-STAAART YOUR COURT PROCESS! EVERYONE GIVE A WARM ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO OUR ESTEEMED PROSECUTOR, UNDYNE!”

The canned sound of clapping echoed through the room.

“Mettaton, are you really doing this _again_? Didn’t you learn your lesson already?!” Undyne placed a foot on Frisk’s back, pushing them down into the table. Her spear still touched the back of their neck.

“YES, UNDYNE. I REALISE HOW DANGEROUS THIS HUMAN IS. BUT DO THEY NOT DESERVE A FAIR TRIAL?”

“Oh, come on! We all know that this human is guilty.” Undyne’s spear dug deeper into their skin. Not enough to break it, but enough for it to hurt.

“OHH YESS. BUT. DUE PROCESS IS SACRED! WHAT SORT OF SOCIETY ARE WE IF WE EXECUTE PEOPLE WITHOUT TRIAL? EVEN HUMANS FROWN ON SUCH TRAVESTY.”

Undyne snorted. “Yeah, because humanity had been _nothing_ but fair with prince Asriel!”

“OH, BUT SHOULD WE STOOP DOWN TO HUMANITY’S LEVEL? AREN’T WE BETTER THAN THAT?”

Frisk heard Undyne groan from behind them. After a long pause, she removed her spear from their neck and her foot off their back.

“Fine,” she said. “I’ll play along.”

“GOOD. TAKE YOUR PLACE BEHIND THE BENCH ADJACENT TO THE DEFENDANT’S. IT HAS SOME... FEATURES YOU MIGHT FIND USEFUL.”

Undyne took her place. “Features?” The sounds of running water burst through. “Oh-oh! There’s a  water fountain in here!”

“OHH YES. CREATED BY THE GREAT, AND _LOYAL_ , DOCTOR ALPHYS! ONCE SHE HEARD YOU WOULD BE ON THIS SHOW, SHE _INSISTED_ ON IT BEING INCLUDED UNDER _EVERY_ TABLE!”

The phone buzzed against Frisk’s belly ’ _I didnt’_ , and a moment later _‘srry’_.

Undyne grinned. “All right! I knew I could count on her!”

Frisk took a moment to glare at the phone screen.

“IN ANY CASE, THE COURT IS READY TO START NOW!”

The phone buzzed again, _‘u shud ask 4 a lawyer’._ Frisk tucked their shirt in their pants to create a makeshift pocket for the phone.

“PROSECUTOR UNDYNE, PRESENT YOUR FIRST-“

Frisk put their unbound hand up. “Excuse me. Shouldn’t I-“

“Ugh, What now!” Undyne stomped in place.

“Shouldn’t I get a-“

“NO TALKING!” Mettaton banged his gavel on the stand. “PROSECUTOR UNDYNE, PRESENT YOUR FIRST-”

“Shouldn’t I get a lawyer?!”

Everything paused. Mettaton turned to Frisk, his screen looking even blanker than usual. Undyne folded her arms.

“Really?” she asked. “Are we really going to-“

“GOOD POINT, HUMAN! THAT WAS SOME REAL QUICK THINKING ON YOUR PART. IT’S IMPRESSIVE YOU CAME UP WITH IT ON YOUR OWN. I GUESS YOU’RE NOT JUST A PRETTY FACE AFTER ALL! WHICH IS GOOD, CONSIDERING YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE A PRETTY FACE.”

Another laugh track.

“IN ANY CASE, IS THERE ANYONE IN HERE WILLING TO SERVE AS THIS HUMAN’S DEFENDER?”

The canned sound of crickets echoed through the room.

“ANYONE?” Judge Mettaton turned to the Mettaton jury. The jury, in turn, turned away from him with varying levels of obviousness, trying to avoid eye (screen?) contact. Some pulled out items to be conveniently distracted by, such as a knitting kit, a newspaper, or a laptop with a hole in it. Others pretended to be asleep or malfunctioning.

“HMM...” Judge Mettaton pressed a button. A screen lowered, displaying a crowd of monsters with ragged clothing, looking at the screen with blank faces. “ANYONE...?”

The monster crowd in the screen erupted into jeers. The screen was silenced.

“BUT NOBODY CAME, HUH.” Judge Mettaton turned to Frisk again. “I GUESS YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO BE A FOOL OF A CLIENT.”

Frisk lowered their head.

“ANYWAYS! UNDYNE, YOU MAY BRING FORTH YOUR FIRST-“

“Undyne! Undyne!” A childish voice cried out. Everyone froze again as the sound of fast footsteps echoed through the halls. Frisk looked behind as the door at the back of the courtroom was thrown open.

The Monster Kid from before stood in the opening, panting and huffing, but still filled with energy.

“Undyne!” The Monster Kid’s face brightened even more at the sight of Frisk. “And- Oh man, you’re here too! And you’ve got front row seats to...” The look on their face grew less and less confident. “Uhh...”

“AHEM! WHO ARE YOU, EXACTLY?”

Undyne crossed her arms. “That’s a kid who really shouldn’t be here.” She glanced at the Monster Kid. “Hey, shouldn’t you be there?” She motioned to the screen, which was pulling up. “With the _other_ evacuees? With your _family_?”

“W-wait, so this is on TV? Oh, shoot—um... Hey mom, hey pa—“

“Look, “said Undyne, “just go away now. It’s dangerous for you to be here.”

“I-I guess...” The Monster Kid’s face was flush with embarrassment. Frisk had to look away. They shut their eyes. “Umm... We should go-“

Frisk opened their eyes again to see the Monster Kid standing right in front of them. The Kid’s eyes lain on their cuffed hand.

“Wait, what?” The Monster Kid whipped their head between Mettaton, Undyne and Frisk. “What’s going on-“

Undyne appeared behind the Monster Kid and pulled them away.  “Stay away from them,” she said.

The Monster Kid struggled against her. “Hey—why? They’re my friend, and-“

“Your friend?!” She turned the Kid towards her and grasped their shoulders. “That’s the killer!”

“What?”

“That’s the killer _human_ I warned you about! Why didn’t you listen to me? God- gosh _darn_ it! I should have just dragged you to the safe zone back when I had the chance!”

The Monster Kid’s face has fallen. Frisk felt their heart sink.

“Yo, that—that _can’t_ be right!” said the Monster Kid. They turned to look at Frisk, who shrunk under their gaze. “Hey, dude, you’re not human, right? You can’t be.”

“I am,” said Frisk. They struggled not to cry. “But I’m not the killer! You have to believe me!”

Undyne smirked. The Monster Kid dropped their gaze.

“Well,” said Undyne. “Do you get it now? Go home.”

“How could they be the killer?” asked the Monster Kid.

Undyne narrowed her eye. “They _are_. Trust me. Go!“

“No! I’m not gonna leave my friend like that!”

Frisk jumped. Even Undyne seemed startled by the Monster Kid’s outburst.

“OH MY! WHAT A WONDERFULLY DRAMATIC MOMENT. I COULDN’T BEAR TO INTERFERE,” said Mettaton. He turned to Frisk. ”WELL THEN, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE A PUBLIC DEFENDER NOW, DARLING. CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY. IT TAKES A LOT OF COURAGE TO STAND UP FOR _YOU_ LIKE THAT. BUT, OF COURSE, IF ANYONE TRULY CONSIDERS YOU AN INNOCENT, AND WISHES TO COME TO YOUR DEFENSE, ANY OTHER ACTION WOULD BE _PURE COWARDICE_.”

The Monster Kid stormed away from Undyne and took their position by Frisk’s side. The look in Undyne’s eye shifted from startled to aggressive as it lingered over the two of them.

“Thank you,” said Frisk to the Monster Kid, their voice weak and soft. The Monster Kid turned around to look at them with wide eyes, before letting out a small, insecure smile.

“IT’S TIME, FINALLY. PROSECUTER UNDYNE, PRESENT YOUR FIRST PIECE OF EVIDENCE!”

“Yes! Right!” Undyne pumped her fist. “My first piece of evidence that this human is a killer is- um...” Her confident expression melted into a frown. “Hang on a moment. Mettaton! How the Hel-Heck am I supposed to present my case?! I didn’t _want_ this trial thing to begin with. You’re the one who roped me into being a lawyer!”

“SO, ARE YOU SAYING YOU HAVE NO EVIDENCE TO PROVE YOUR CASE?”

“Yeah,” said the Monster Kid. “That’s right! You have no evidence!”

“That’s not right. I have plenty of evidence!” said Undyne, gritting her teeth. “I just didn’t have the time to prepare it for this.”

“WELL THEN, FORTUNATELY FOR YOU, YOU ARE NOT ONLY THE PROSECUTOR, BUT YOU’RE A WITNESS TOO! AND LIKEWISE, I’M NOT ONLY A JUDGE, BUT I MAY ALSO ASSIST IN PROSECUTION!”

Frisk’s phone buzzed again. They glanced down. ‘ _sayy ths is unfair.’_

Frisk nudged Monster Kid with their elbow, but the Monster Kid was too focused on Undyne. Frisk’s grip on the phone weakened as their skin sweated.

“All right,” said Undyne, “what is the first piece of-“

A loud thud echoed throughout the room as the phone dropped to the ground.

Mettaton banged his gavel. “HUMAN.”

Frisk dove below the table and grabbed the phone with their free hand, then shoved it in their pockets.

When they rose back up, they found the entire room glaring at them. Even the Monster Kid had shot them a suspicious look.

“Umm...”  Frisk wished to hide under the table again. “This- this is unfair!”

The Monster Kid’s eyes widened for a moment. “Y-yeah! That’s right! Yo... Objection!”

Mettaton snorted. “HOW SO? PLEASE, TELL ME HOW MUCH BETTER YOU KNOW LAW THAN I DO. I’M ALL EARS.”

“You can’t be both the judge and a member of the prosecution, dude,” said the Monster Kid, “it’s not fair!”

“HMM... INTERESTING ARGUMENT.”

“Wait,” said Undyne, “are you really going to leave me hanging-“

“FEAR NOT, CAPTAIN! AND AS FOR THE DEFENSE, WELL...” Mettaton motioned with both of his arms like a conductor presiding over an orchestra. A drumroll sounded through the halls. “HAVE YOU EVER STOPPED TO CONSIDER THAT _LIFE_ ISN’T FAIR?”

Another laugh track.

“IN ANY CASE, NOTION DENIED. HERE IS MY FIRST PIECE OF EVIDENCE. CAPTAIN! YOU’LL BE MY FIRST WITNESS. WHEN DID YOU BECOME AWARE OF THIS HUMAN?”

Undyne leaned on the table. “One of my sentries, Sans, called me when I was investigating rumors of the killer in Waterfall. Said that Papyrus — his brother — had captured a human.”

“I SEE. FOR WHAT REASON, EXACTLY, DID YOU BELIEVE THAT THE KILLER IS IN WATERFALL?”

“Well, there were several disappearances there, and—“ Undyne stood up straight and made a face at Mettaton. “—Wait! How is that supposed to help me convict the human?!”

“WHY, UNDYNE, WAS THE HUMAN NOT IN WATERFALL AT THE TIME OF THOSE DISAPPEARANCES?”

“No! The Human was in Snowdin, where Sans and Papyrus live. But-“

“DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPLANATIONS FOR THE DISAPPEARANCES IN WATERFALL, THEN?”

“How are the disappearances in Waterfall relevant?!”

“MY QUESTION IS: WHY DID YOU DROP THE LEAD YOU GOT IN WATERFALL IN FAVOR OF THE HUMAN? DID YOU FIND THE CAUSE OF THOSE DISAPPEARANCES?”

“Yeah,” said the Monster Kid. “If the human was in Snowdin, they couldn’t have been responsible for the disappearances in Waterfa-”

“Listen!” Undyne slammed her fist on the table. “I only went to pick up the human because the trail on my investigation has gone cold. In case you don’t _remember_ , humans that fall into the Underground must die as per _Asgore_ ’s royal decree.” She stood up and pointed her spear at Frisk. “That’s right! Even if they weren’t the killer, this human would’ve had to die!”

Frisk noticed the Monster Kid beside them flinching. A part of them wished they could comfort the Monster Kid, but instead, they opted to look at Undyne with steely eyes.

“I SEE. HOWEVER, THIS HUMAN’S ULTIMATE FATE IS NOT THE PURPOSE OF THIS TRIAL. THIS TRIAL MERELY AIMS TO DETERMINE THE HUMAN’S GUILT! SHOULD THEY BE DECLARED INNOCENT—“

“Which they won’t,” said Undyne.

“RIGHT. BUT SHOULD THAT HAPPEN, THEY WOULD BE SPARED A COURT ORDERED EXECUTION, AND YOU WOULD BE FREE TO EXECUTE THEM YOURSELF, AS PER THE ROYAL DECREE!”

So, in other words, they were doomed no matter what happened? Frisk fidgeted with the phone in their pocket with their free hand.

“That’s not fair...” said the Monster Kid.

“That’s the way it has to be, kid,” said Undyne. “Look, you should probably just step down now. I get why you’ve been doing this, but it’s pointless. Humans are cruel, deceptive creatures. You can’t be friends with them. You’re only going to get hurt.”

The Monster Kid stood upright, looked Undyne in the eye, and said nothing.

Frisk told themself to have faith in Flowey. He’d get Alphys to do _something_ soon, right?

Mettaton cleared his throat. “SO, UNDYNE, WHEN DID YOU COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THIS HUMAN WAS THE KILLER? WAS IT WHEN YOU HEARD THEY WERE HUMAN?”

“No,” said Undyne. “Contrary to what you think, _Mettaton, Kid_ , I didn’t jump to that conclusion based on nothing. This human tried to murder a friend of mine.”

Monster Kid turned to Frisk. “You... you didn’t. Right?”

Frisk looked at them with wide eyes like a deer standing on the rails with an oncoming train. They struggled to come up with words, any denial, any justification, but found themself coming up short.

Mettaton gasped. “OH, THE HORROR! PLEASE, DO TELL US MORE!”

“Look,” said Undyne, “all you need to know is that this human attacked my friend and badly injured them. It was a miracle that my friend escaped alive. And that was all the evidence I needed.”

“I SEE. WHY DO YOU THINK THE HUMAN ATTACKED YOUR FRIEND, THEN?”

“Does it matter?! This is a _human_ , Mettaton! They don’t even need a reason.”

“WAS PAPYRUS YOUR FRIEND, PERCHANCE?”

Undyne’s eye widened. “What-“

“WAS THE FRIEND OF YOURS, THE VICTIM OF THE ATTACK, PAPYRUS?”

“Don’t drag Papyrus into this!”

“He was,” said Frisk.

Every eye in the room turned to Frisk. Frisk tried to keep their nervousness off their face.

Undyne’s face grew red and tight as she glared at Frisk. “That’s not even relevant.”

“OH UNDYNE, I AM AFRAID IT IS _VERY_ RELEVANT. NOW, THE HUMAN HAS DENIABILITY! THEY CAN CLAIM SELF-DEFENSE.”

Undyne snorted. “Self defense?! _Heck_ no! I _know_ Papyrus, he’d never hurt a fly.” She dropped her head to the ground. “I... I never should have tasked him with capturing humans...”

“BUT, DID HE NOT CAPTURE THIS HUMAN SO THAT YOU COULD EXECUTE THEM? IF THEY TRIED TO ESCAPE, AND, IN THEIR DESPERATION, ENDED UP STRIKING THEIR CAPTOR, COULD YOU REALLY BLAME THEM? ARE THESE REALLY THE ACTIONS OF A POWERFUL, CALCULATING KILLER?”

“I can’t believe you’re taking the _human’s_ side! If you want a good argument, then how about the fact that they deceived Papyrus so that they could attack him?!”

Mettaton placed his robo-arm elbows on the bench and clasped his fingers. “REALLY? PLEASE, ELABORATE.”

“They let themself get taken in!” Undyne smirked, baring her sharp triangular teeth at Frisk. “They surrendered to him in fair combat so that he’d let his guard down. And when he was vulnerable, they attacked.”

Monster Kid turned to Frisk. “You... you didn’t, right?”

Frisk looked back, their eyes softening with despair.

“Yo... you... you had a good reason to surrender, right?” asked the Monster Kid.

Frisk took a deep breath.

They were afraid of Sans, and thought Papyrus was going to be kind to them. That made sense to them at the time. But in hindsight, it was stupid, so very stupid. No wonder Flowey got so mad at them. They couldn’t explain it to Monster Kid. They couldn’t even explain it to themself anymore.

They watched as Monster Kid’s eyes lost their light.

Mettaton cleared his throat. “WELL THEN, THAT WAS ENLIGHTENING. I’M SURE YOU HAVE MORE EVIDENCE TO PRESENT, BUT FIRST, LET ME BRING ONE OF MY OWN WITNESSES!”

Another screen came down. This time, it displayed a nervous-looking catlike monster being wearing a flimsy, ill-fitting suit.

“DEAR WITNESS, STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD.”

The catlike monster swallowed his spit. “M-my name is-“

“OH. NO ONE ACTUALLY CARES. THIS WAS YET ANOTHER QUESTION ASKED FOR THE SAKE OF PROCEDURE! I ALREADY KNOW YOUR NAME, BURGERPANTS.”

Another laugh track sounded. Frisk, Undyne, and Monster Kid all stared at the scene ahead with blank eyes.

“SO, BURGERPANTS, PLEASE TELL ME. WHEN WAS YOUR MEETING WITH THE HUMAN?”

“I, uh...” Burgerpants brought his forearm up and took a close look at his wrist. “I... I ran into the human back when they...” He squinted. “...were going through waterfall.” He looked at the camera and let out a nervous smile.

“I’ve never seen this person in my life,” said Frisk.

“QUIET!” Mettaton banged his gavel. “SO, BURGERPANTS, DID YOU SEE THE HUMAN KJILLING PEOPLE?”

“Oh yeah, totally.”

“AND?”

Burgerpants looked at Mettaton with hazy, half-lidded eyes. “And what?”

“HOW DID YOU ESCAPE THE HUMAN’S RAMPAGE?”

“Oh! I... uh... I ran up to them and prostrated myself before them. And begged them to kill me!” Burgerpants turned to look at Frisk. “Please?”

Frisk shot back a baffled look.

“YOU MEAN... BEGGED THEM _NOT_ TO KILL YOU.”

Burgerpants’ face fell. “Y-yeah. That.”

“THANK YOU. GOODBYE”

“Wait! What about that bonu-“

“GOODBYE.”

The screen pulled up.

“OH MY! WHAT A BELIEVABLE AND ENLIGHTENING TESTIMONY-“

“Are you pulling my leg here?!” Undyne put a foot on her table. “What the _heck_ , Mettaton! I thought you were supposed to be on my side!”

“AHH, BUT WAS THIS TESTIMONY NOT IN SUPPORT OF YOUR CASE?”

“You’re not taking this seriously!”

“SURE I AM. I WILL ALLOW YOU TO CONTINUE YOUR TESTIMONY NOW.”

Undyne groaned. “Fine. Let’s just get this over with.”

“SO, CAPTAIN. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST MEETING WITH THE HUMAN LIKE?”

“I arrived at Papyrus’ place, and I found him there... on the floor...” She glared at Frisk. “...writhing in agony like I’ve never seen him do before. Then Sans appeared behind me. I couldn’t see his face, but I knew exactly how he felt. And he said: _go_.”

“OH MY! YOU HAVE A REAL TALENT FOR STORYTELLING.”

Undyne’s mouth shifted a bit, a smirk was trying to break through her mask of determination. “I knew exactly where to go as the human left footprints in the snow. They were in the Snowdin inn, overturning the whole goddamn place like an earthquake-”

“OOH! AND THEN, WHEN THEY NOTICED YOU, THEY MUST HAVE LEAPT AT YOU, FISTS SWINGING!”

Undyne paused and looked at Mettaton. “What?”

“THEY MUST HAVE ATTACKED YOU SO FEROCIOUSLY, THAT YOU COULDN’T COME TO ANY CONCLUSION OTHER THAN THEM BEING THE KILLER. IT MUST HAVE BEEN AWE-INSPIRING-“

“No. There is _nothing_ awe inspiring about this human. They were weak, and cowardly. The moment they saw me, they went off, scurrying away like-“

“They were running away from you,” said Monster Kid. “T-they were afraid. They’re not a killer!”

“Why would they run from me if they weren’t guilty?!”

“T-they must have thought you were going to kill them for being human!”

“THAT’S RIGHT! WHAT WERE YOU EXPECTING, UNDYNE? FOR THEM TO JUST STAND THERE AND EXPLAIN THEMSELF TO YOU?”

Undyne huffed.

“UNDYNE, I MUST ASK YOU SOMETHING: DID THE HUMAN _EVER_ ATTACK YOU?”

“It doesn’t matter! Of course they wouldn’t attack me,” said Undyne. “That coward. They only attack those who are weaker than them!”

“PERHAPS THAT IS TRUE. BUT, IN THAT CASE, WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT EVERYONE _ELSE_ IN THE ROYAL GUARD, WHO FELL VICTIM TO THE KILLER?”

Undyne glared at Mettaton, her face red, her eyebrows knitted together so tight they nearly met. She was huffing and puffing. “How dare you-“

“DID THEY FAIL TO PUT UP A FIGHT WITH SOMEONE WHO RAN FROM YOU ON SIGHT?”

“How dare you! How dare you drag the royal guard into this!”

“I WASN’T THE ONE WHO INSINUATED THEY WERE WEAK, DARLING. YOU WERE.”

Undyne glared at Mettaton with an intensity greater than she ever even directed at Frisk.

Monster Kid looked back to Frisk, smiling with soft eyes. Frisk smiled back.

Someone believed in them.

“WELL THEN. BEFORE WE PROCEED TO THE NEXT PART OF THE TRIAL, LET’S ASK WHAT THE PEOPLE AT HOME, OR OTHERWISE, THINK.”

The screen lowered once more, and the refugee crowds from before displayed on it. They were glaring at the camera. Frisk’s stomach dropped.

“SO, LADIES, GENTLEMEN, AND ANYONE WHO CANNOT BE TRULY OR FULLY DEFINED BY THOSE TERMS, WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE? IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO SAY?”

The crowd erupted into chaos.

_‘Death to the human!’_

_‘You will not deceive us!’_

_‘Undyne! Don’t give up. We believe in you!’_

‘ _Mettaton, you traitor! Choosing the human’s side!’_

Frisk saw the color draining from Monster Kid’s face. Squinting at the screen, they could see why: two dinosaur-like adult monsters stood at the forefront. Although they weren’t amongst the people shouting, the cold look they were sending towards Monster Kid was enough to send chills down _Frisk’s_ back. Monster Kid dropped their head to the ground.

The screen rolled back up. Undyne was grinning.

After a brief moment, Mettaton cleared his throat. “IT APPEARS THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.”

“Damn right,” said Undyne.

“WE SHALL CONTINUE. DEFENDER, STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD.”

The Monster Kid stood in place, motionless. Frisk wondered whether they should nudge them, but the ache in their heart held them back.

They wished they didn’t drag them into this.

“DEFENDER, STATE OUR NAME OR YOU’LL BE HELD IN CONTEMPT.”

“You just saying that for the sake of procedure,” said Monster Kid, their voice was low. “You don’t actually care about my name, no one does.”

“THAAAAT’S RIGHT! YOU’RE SMART. I’LL LET YOU OFF THE HOOK FOR THE LAUGH TRACK. NOW, TELL ME, DEFENDER, WHY DO YOU BELIEVE THE HUMAN IS INNOCENT?”

“They’re my friend.”

“No, they aren’t,” said Undyne. “You can’t be friends with humans, there’s no point in trying.” Her eye softened. “Trust me, I would know-“

“They’re my friend!”

“Why are you being so stubborn, anyways?! You _came_ here to root for me. Why did you change your mind all of a sudden?!”

“Because that’s the kind of thing I learned from you! That’s the kind of thing you always talked about!” Monster Kid raised their head again to glare at Undyne. Their face was red and their eyes wet. “Protecting your friends. Standing up for what you believe in. Doing the right thing no matter how difficult!”

Undyne opened her mouth again, ready to speak. Then closed it again.

“AWW, HOW HEARTFELT! BUT I’M  AFRAID WE MUST CUT YOUR SPEECH HERE A LITTLE SHORT. WE HAVE A TRIAL TO CONDUCT,” said Mettaton. “IN ANY CASE, DEFENDER, WHEN WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU MET THE HUMAN?”

“I... I saw them in Snowdin. I said hello to them. They didn’t really reply back or anything, they just stood there, staring at me like they were completely terrified. It was kinda...” Monster Kid’s eyes shifted to the side. “...weird...”

“Darn right the human is weird,” said Undyne. “They’re the kille-“

“But they didn’t attack me or anything! They could have, but they didn’t!”

“But that doesn’t mean they _aren’t-“_

 _“_ ORDER!” Mettaton banged his gavel. “DEFENDER, SEEING AS YOUR FIRST MEETING WITH THE HUMAN WAS SO UTTERLY BORING AND UNEVENTFUL, PLEASE TELL US OF THE MEETING THAT DROVE YOU TO BELIEVE THIS HUMAN’S INNOCENCE.”

“Right,“ said Monster Kid. They took a moment to still their breath. ”I was going through Waterfall, and-“

“Waterfall?! Oh for f- Monster Kid! Don’t you realise how dangerous it is in there?” asked Undyne.

“I-I thought that if you already knew who the killer is, a-and they’re human, I’ll be able to avoid them...”

“Well, clearly you couldn’t,” said Undyne.

“QUIET!” Mettaton banged on his gavel. “PLEASE RESUME, DEFENDER.”

“I-I climbed that Riverperson’s boat, and...” Monster Kid sniffed. “...and the human was there.” The Monster Kid stood up straight again. “They looked really lonely. They didn’t even have any way to light anything around them. T-they were just sitting there, in the dark, completely alone-”

“Stop trying to make us feel sorry for them,” said Undyne. “It isn’t going to work.”

“I-I...” Monster Kid took a deep breath. “I climbed on the boat and I sat there. A-and even though it was wobbly,  a-and I don’t have the best balance, they didn’t push me into the water, or try to take my lamp.”

“Do you know why they were on the boat?” asked Undyne.

Monster Kid shook their head.

“They were on the run from me. They had just escaped after injuring Papyrus! Remember that? That little detail? How they injured Papyrus?!”

The Monster Kid looked to the side. “They were kind to me. They-they gave me some of their bisicles when they saw I was hungry. I never had a friend like that before.”

“Do you know where those Bisicles came from?” Undyne crossed her arms. “They were pilaged from the shop in Snowdin. The human took them before they ever even _met_ me. You know what sort of person would have no shame about robbing refugees? A person who had already committed crimes far worse than that.”

Monster Kid dropped their head to the ground.

“UNDYNE, THERE IS ONE FINAL PIECE OF EVIDENCE YOU CAN PRESENT TO SEAL THIS CASE: OUR LAST MEETING! GO FOR IT, GO FOR THE KILL!”

Monster Kid whipped their head up. “Last meeting?”

“Yeah! All right!” Undyne cracked her knuckles. “Monster Kid, you must have not seen it. But last time Mettaton and I encountered the human, they tried to kill not only Mettaton, but everyone in his audience too!”

“THAT,” said Mettaton, facing the camera, “IS THE REASON WHY I DID NOT ALLOW ANY OF YOU TO COME HERE THIS TIME. FORGIVE ME, MY DARLINGS. I HOPE THE EXTRA I ADDED TO YOUR REFUNDS MAY SOOTH YOUR DISAPPOINTMENT.”

Monster Kid looked at Frisk, their eyes wide. “Yo... you didn’t, right? you wouldn’t just... try to kill people like that.”

“I...I didn’t.” Frisk’s breath hitched. “I didn’t do it... I didn’t...”

“I HAVE THE FOOTAGE RIGHT HERE,” said Mettaton. “I COULDN’T SHOW IT BEFORE BECAUSE I NEEDED TO ENSURE THE CONSENT OF EVERYONE IN THE AUDIENCE, BUT AFTER SOME EDITING, IT’S READY.”

The screen lowered again. The entire hall went quiet.

At first, the footage showed the audience from a vantage point above and at an angle to the audience’s stand. The arena where Frisk fought Undyne was just out of view.

The people in the audience watched the arena with varying degrees of engagement. Some sat at the edge of their seat, others sat back, but their eyes still focused on— on them, Frisk realised. The audience was expecting their demise.

Some of the audience, however, sat with a blank look on their face. Although they were also watching the arena, there was not a hint of mirth or excitement in their expressions. While everyone in the audience appeared to wear worn, old, dirty clothing, the ones with the vacant expression seemed to be the worst off out of them all.

Then, the entire screen darkened, except for one spot in the corner. A red circle appeared in that spot, highlighting one of the four cables that supported the platform. The screen brightened soon afterwards, but the red circle remained.

The cable snapped.

Everyone in the audience were swept as the platform tilted to its corner. Panic overtook the crowd as everyone struggled to hold on their seat. Those who sat closest to the corner climbed over their neighbours, trying to get away.

And then the other supporting cable on the same side snapped, and the entire platform tilted to the side. It was chaos. Everyone struggling to climb over each other to the top. Parents grasping the hems of their childrens clothes. Smaller monsters being trampled.

Frisk’s heart dropped as they saw a duck-like monster cling to the edge. Was Alphys wrong?

The screen rolled up again.

“No...” said Monster Kid. “The human didn’t do this. R-right? They weren’t even on there-“

“The human was just beyond that platform,” said Undyne. “They were fighting me, and losing. Badly. They needed a distraction,” She glared at Frisk, “and they were willing to sacrifice all these people to get it.”

“You...” Monster Kid turned to Frisk. “You didn’t. Right? You didn’t...”

“I d-didn’t do it! I... I...” Frisk didn’t realise when tears started streaming down their face. “It... it wasn’t-“

They paused. What could they do? They couldn’t finish this sentence. They couldn’t throw Alphys and Flowey under the bus like that.

“How _could_ they do this, anyway?” asked Monster Kid, their voice trembling.

“The human can use magic,” said Undyne. “I saw it while fighting them.”

“OF COURSE, MAGIC ISN’T THE ONLY WAY TO BREAK THESE CABLES,” said Mettaton. “THESE CABLES ARE CONNECTED BY A NUMBER OF REMOTE CONTROLLED JOINTS. THEY CAN BE ATTACHED, DETACHED, STRETCHED AND COMPRESSED AT THE PRESS OF A BUTTON. BUT, THE ONLY CONSOLE, OTHER THAN MINE, THAT CAN CONTROL _THESE_ CABLES BELONGS TO DR ALPHYS.” He turned to the camera. “I MAY BE A LOT OF THINGS, BUT I WOULD NEVER PUT MY FANS IN DANGER LIKE THAT PURPOSELY. AND DR ALPHYS IS _NOTHING_ IF NOT HONEST, PROFESSIONAL, AND DEVOTED TO THE MONSTER CAUSE. SHE WOULD _NEVER_ DO SUCH A THING. OUR EVACUEES ARE IN SAFE HANDS!”

Undyne snorted. “Yeah, Alphys is great. Now, if only that greatness could apply to her creations, too.”

Monster Kid stood rooted to their place. Their head downcast.

“WELL THEN. IT’S TIME TO CAST A VOTE! LET’S GIVE THE JURY SOME TIME TO CONVENE AND DECIDE THE VERDICT!”

It took them only a few minutes before Mettaton stood on the Judge stand again. “VERDICT:” The canned sound of drumrolls echoed through the halls. “GUILTY OF ALL CHARGES. BUT, THAT’S HARDLY A SURPRISE NOW, IS IT?”

“All right!” said Undyne. “Finally, we can bring this human to justice!”

Frisk started shaking.

“I’m going,” said Monster Kid.

“No...” whimpered Frisk. “Please don’t...”

Monster Kid shot them a cold, teary-eyed look as they left the room through the back door.

“HUMAN. I HEREBY SENTENCE YOU TO DEATH, BY THE MEANS OF-“

Mettaon glitched. The cubes that made up his screen flashed with color a few at a time like a disco ball.

“Mettaton! If you’re just doing it for some dramatic effect, now’s not the time!” said Undyne. “If you don’t _get_ one of your machines to do the job soon, I’ll do it myself.”

The lights in the room began flashing too. The Mettatons in the Jury convulsed and fell over one another, limp and lightless. Frisk winced as with a loud thud, every bench behind them fell over.

Undyne pulled out a spear. “Alright! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!” She turned to Frisk. “Human! If you’re using magic right now, then, well...” She smirked. “Know that it wouldn’t save you!”

Frisk pulled on their cuffed hand as Undyne drew near, but it only served to hurt their wrist. The open wound on their shoulder tore even wider.

Undyne slammed their head onto the table. Frisk cried and tried to push back, but to no avail. They could feel the bladed part of her spear touch the back of their neck for a moment. Then Undyne raised her spear wielding arm past the point they could seen. They tried to tilt their head, but her hand weighed on their head like a mountain.

“I’m gonna savour this,” said Undyne. “I waited for this for so long. This! Is for all monsters!”

They kept struggling under her grasp, trying to wiggle away. They felt a buzz in their pocket.

Just as she was ready to bring the spear down, they whipped out the phone.

A white flash flooded the room.

Water pooled at their feet. Flash-blind, they whipped back upright as the force on their head disappeared.

It took a few seconds for their eyes to readjust to the room. They saw that their SOUL has changed color to yellow and was upside down.

The phone buzzed in their palm, ‘ _you can shot stuf!! brak free!’_

They shuffled their feet. Water dripped off someplace under the table and onto their shin. They focused their thoughts on their SOUL, angling its tip towards their handcuff and firing. The handcuff broke.

Undyne had been blown back, she was lying in a puddle on the floor. She pushed herself up, facing them with a blank-eyed glare. “Ugh, what- Oh, when I find you-!”

She lunged towards them. They lunged aside. She crashed into the table.

“You! Where are you!”

Their phone buzzed, ‘ _elevator, go!’_

Undyne was getting up. They turned around and sprinted to the elevator, Undyne on their heels.

They were a few steps away in when she grabbed them by the forearm.

“That’s enough! You won’t get away this tim-“

They shot her and broke free. She was sent sprawling into the ground.

One leap later, they threw themself into the elevator and slammed the button to close the door.

The door slammed shut just as she was about to reach in.

 

* * *

 

“You know,” said Flowey through the phone. “We could have helped you a lot earlier. But when I saw your _real_ best friend come to your defense like that, I couldn’t _bear_ to set you apart.”

“I’m sorry,” said Frisk. They sniffed. “They’re not my best friend. You are. I didn’t mean to make it seem like-“

“Oh, forget it. You two aren’t friends anymore, anyways.” Flowey huffed.

“I-it wasn’t their fault, though,” said Frisk, pacing around the elevator. “They tried their best! And I... I just stood there. They tried to defend me a-and I couldn’t-“ Their eyes blurred.

“Look, why are you getting all worked up over this? Stop feeling sorry for them. They left you for dead. They _hate_ you.”

“It’s just that it’s- it’s always been like that...” They couldn’t hold back from sobbing anymore. “Even before I-I fell here, e-everyone hated me. A-and even when I t-try, I e-end up making everyone hate me again. A-and I...” They buried their face in their sleeve. “I deserve it...”

“Human...” said Alphys with a soft voice.

“Stop pitying yourself already. So they hate you. So what!” Flowey’s voice became rougher and louder. “That’s just the way it is. But you know what? You’re not alone, not anymore.” His voice softened. “We’re the hated ones. The outcasts. That’s why we have to stick together. The game is rigged against people like us.” He inhaled. “But that doesn’t mean we have to lose.” He exhaled. “It means we’re justified if we cheat.”

Frisk struggled to find comfort in his words. They pressed their forearm to their face to the point where the rough material of their sweater hurt their skin and tried to stop crying.

“I-I don’t hate you,” said Alphys.

Frisk jumped.

“H-human,” she said, “I-I don’t think you deserve t-to be hated. Y-you... uh... you didn’t do anything wrong. You d-didn’t do anything to d-deserve being hated.”

Frisk held their phone with both hands, pressing it to their ear. They hanged on her every word.

“T-that’s why I’m-“

“No,” said Flowey. “This isn’t why you’re helping them, Alphys. You’re helping them because I forced you to. We both know you wouldn’t stand for them if it actually meant a sacrifice on your part. I-I mean you didn’t even-” Flowey’s voice broke down. ”even...“

The line cut off.

Frisk took a moment to still their own breathing. They weren’t sure what they were thinking or feeling, but at least they didn’t feel the need to cry anymore.

Alphys and Flowey are still with them. They mustn’t forget that. Alphys and Flowey are their friends, they didn’t hate them. Frisk used these thoughts to calm themself down.

The rest of the elevator ride went without a hitch. Once they have reached the highest floor, their phone buzzed again, _‘the core wuld be past the door on the corridor on the wall which wuld b behind u when u enter. tere is an arena ther contrled by mtt, but 1ce u get past’_

The phone hanged on the message ‘ _Alphys is writing..._ ’ for a few moments, before displaying the next message, ‘ _ull be closer. Flowey will explin more. gtg.’_

Frisk took a deep breath and stepped off the elevator. The room they entered was large, dim, and mostly bare. Except for what looked like a small pool of moldy water with a pile of rubble inside it. There were several doors made of broken or cracked glass and one dusty counter.

Just as they were about to reach the door Alphys specified, their phone buzzed again. A call, not a message. And not from Alphys.

They looked at their phone screen as their phone kept buzzing in their hands. Their thumbs shook as they hovered over the buttons ‘ _Accept’_ and ‘ _Deny’_.

They chose ‘ _Accept’_ and brought their phone to their ear.

“HUMAN? OH, GOODY! THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS REACHED YOU ON TIME!”

Frisk’s stomach lurched.

“A FEW MINUTES FROM NOW, YOU WOULD HAVE STEPPED FOOT INTO THE CORE. AND THEN IT WOULD HAVE BEEN—IT WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO LATE FOR ME TO REACH YOU.”

“Papyrus? I’m-“

“YOU’RE PROBABLY WONDERING HOW I GOT YOUR PHONE NUMBER! WELL, YOU CAN WONDER NO MORE! I MERELY DIALLED EVERY POSSIBLE NUMBER UNTIL I FOUND YOURS! OF COURSE, IT WENT A LOT QUICKER ONCE I DECIDED TO CHECK THE ADDRESSES THAT ARE MANAGED BY DR ALPHYS!”

Frisk cringed. Was Alphys in danger? They needed to-

“I’M SO GLAD TO SEE YOU BEFRIENDING MY FRIEND ALPHYS! I WISH YOU COULD BEFRIEND MY FRIEND UNDYNE TOO. BUT, WELL... _THAT_ HADN’T GONE SO WELL.”

Frisk let out a sigh of relief. Then guilt filled their chest again. “Papyrus,” they said, “I’m sorry.”

“SORRY? THERE’S NO NEED TO BE SORRY, HUMAN! THANKS TO YOU, I’VE BEEN MENTIONED ON NATIONAL TELEVISION BY METTATON _HIMSELF_! NO ONE WHO SPREADS THE WORD OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHOULD EVER FEEL _SORRY_ FOR ANYTHING!”

“Oh.” Frisk let out a nervous chuckle.

“ANYWAYS, YOU’RE PROBABLY WONDERING WHY I AM CALLING YOU. AND, WELL...” He gulped. “I... I HAVE TO WARN YOU OF SOMETHING.”

Frisk’s breath hitched.

“MY BROTHER HAS BEEN TENDING TO ME UP UNTIL NOW DUE TO THE, UHH... THING. BUT I’M GETTING BETTER QUICKLY, AND NOW I... I can’t hold him back anymore.”

Frisk felt chills down their spine.

“He’s coming, human. I’m sorry.”

And with that, the line was cut off.

Frisk grasped the phone with both hands and begun dialling.

“Alphys! Flowey!”


	10. Spirit in the System

Undyne glared at the elevator doors. Damn it! She would have punched the wretched things, but she knew it would only hurt her hands. And the Human was long gone, anyways. She never thought she would end up getting mad at Alphys’ engineering skills for making metal _too_ strong or _too_ durable, but the Human just had to go ahead and ruin _everything_.

What was _up_ with human magic, anyways? One moment, the Human was weak, ready for her to destroy. A moment after, they’d pull some new ability or technique and evade justice once more. Nothing had prepared her for this. Even Alphys’ history books, which extolled humanity’s might and spirit, couldn’t predict such a foe. Asgore’s training was not enough. She may have been stronger, the human was faster.

But she had to keep trying. For all innocents dead. For those _she_ lost. For those she _could_ lose. She had to avenge her fallen comrades, and Shyren, and Snowdrake. She had to protect the monsters of the Underground. She had to keep the smile on Papyrus’ face. She had to save her old man from having to engage with a human again. She had to create a world safe enough for Alphys to explore, once she comes out of her shell. Once she forgives herself.

She will not give up. She just has to find where this elevator leads, and then she’ll find them.

“—GUILLOTINE!”

A crash boomed across the room. Undyne glanced away from the elevator doors. A large blade lay atop the mess of rubble and broken pieces of wood that once comprised the defence stand.

“Too late,” she said. “They’re gone.“

“OH DEAR. THAT CURSED HUMAN HAS WORKED THEIR MAGIC ON ME ONCE MORE! OH WELL. I SUPPOSE THAT THIS IS WHAT I GET FOR TRYING TO KILL THEM IN SUCH AN _ANTICLIMACTIC_ MANNER.”

“Cut that out, Mettaton. Where does that elevator leads?”

“THAT ELEVATOR LEADS TO THE CORE, CAPTAIN. BUT I SUGGEST YOU DON’T HEAD THERE. CIRCUMSTANCES HAVE MADE THAT PLACE RATHER... UNPLEASANT.”

Undyne frowned. The CORE? They were getting close to Asgore. And New Home hasn’t even been evacuated yet! “I’ll take my chances! They can’t reach the king, do you understand?”

“OH YES. TRUST ME. THEM REACHING THE KING IS THE LAST THING I’D EVER WANT.”

“Then get me that elevator already!”

“IT’S HERE.”

Undyne turned to the elevator again and was met with open doors. She was about to step in when doubt overtook her. She turned on her heel and glared at Mettaton.

“Where does it lead?”

“LIKE I SAID, IT SHOULD LAND YOU DIRECTLY IN THE CORE.”

“Why should I trust you?”

“DO YOU HAVE A CHOICE?”

Undyne groaned and stepped in.

“I WILL REVIEW THE FOOTAGE AND JOIN YOU AS SOON AS I CAN, CAPTAIN!”

 “Yeah, hopefully not.”

The doors slammed shut, and then the elevator launched up.

 

* * *

 

Alphys shut off the phone screen and placed it top-down on the counter. She looked to Flowey, who had, by now, returned to his usual height, and was sulking.

“Flowey,” she said. “I’m sorry-“

“Stop it. Just stop.” Flowey wouldn’t meet her eyes. “It’s not going to change anything.”

Alphys kneeled down to be eye level with Flowey. “You know, I really am grateful for what you did back, umm... back then-“

“Not grateful enough, apparently.” He turned and glared at her. “Look. I learned my lesson from _then_. Now I know what you’re really like.”

Alphys’ heart sank. She stared at him blank eyed and at a loss for words. A faint ‘ _ding_ ’ echoed in her ears.

“They’ve reached the hotel,” said Flowey. “Tell them where they need to go next.”

“R-right.” She got back on her feet, took hold of the phone again and began typing. Her fingers fumbled and sweated and piled on one another. A realisation hit her. “They’re gonna have to fight Asgore...” She pressed enter.

Flowey glanced at her, before dropping his gaze again.

“Flowey! They’re gonna have to fight—“

“Yes, I heard you the first time.”

“B-but... Asgore is your... your...”

“It’s none of your business, okay?!”

She looked at the phone screen, staring at the little blinking text cursor in the text writing field. “What am I going to tell them..?”

“Alright, now, listen very care-“

The monitor screen on the wall shut off, and then turned back on again in the form of static. Flowey’s head whipped towards it, and then back to her, wide-eyed.

“You know what?” he said, “I’ll explain it to them once they make it! Tell them that.” He sank into the ground.

She was still fumbling over the phone as the image on the screen brightened and became clearer.

“ALPHYS! LONG TIME NO SEE!”

She quickly pressed enter and hid the phone behind her back. “H-hey... Mettaton-“

“SAY, WHAT’S THAT THING YOU’RE HIDING? WAS THAT A PHONE?”

“I... uh...” There was no point lying. “Yes. It was a phone. I needed to talk with some of the evacuees and—“

“IN THAT CASE, WHY NOT USE THE INTERCOM? IT WOULD BE EASIER, AND _MUCH_ MORE SECURE, YOU KNOW. WHEN YOU USE YOUR PHONE, YOU CAN _NEVER_ KNOW WHO’S LISTENING. UNLESS, OF COURSE, YOU ENCRYPT IT. THEN NO ONE CAN LISTEN.”

 “Y-yeah... thanks goodness for encryption, huh?”

“OHH YESS. ENCRYPTION. AN INCREDIBLE INVENTION. KEEPS ALL YOUR INCRIMINATING CONVERSATIONS SAFE. BUT, YOU KNOW, VERY OFTEN, YOUR _CONTACTS_ CAN BE JUST AS INCRIMINATING AS YOUR CONVERSATIONS WITH THOSE CONTACTS. YOU HAVEN’T ENCRYPTED ANY OF YOUR CONVERSATIONS WITH THE GUYS DOWN THERE. YOU ONLY ENCRYPTED YOUR CONVERSATION WITH _ONE_ CONTACT IN PARTICULAR, AND _ONLY_ THAT ONE CONTACT.”

Alphys gulped.

“OH ALPHYS, YOU REALLY SHOULDN’T HAVE SET ME UP WITH AN INTERCEPTOR. OR AT LEAST, YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN SO OBVIOUS WHEN HELPING THE HUMAN.”

“Mettaton, look, it’s not—”

“OH PLEASE, DON’T TRY TO DENY IT. I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU WERE DOING. I KNOW THIS SYSTEM BETTER THAN YOU DO. YOU MAY HAVE BUILT IT, BUT RIGHT NOW, I _AM_ IT.” Mettaton placed his hands at the sides of his body. He gave her an expectant look.

For a moment, Alphys considered stating that she didn’t build the system, and that Mettaton wasn’t even half of it. But she decided against it. “Mettaton, the thing is, the human isn’t—“

“NO, I DON’T THINK THEY’RE THE KILLER EITHER. BUT ALPHYS, YOU LITERALLY TRIED TO KILL MY AUDIENCE.”

 “Y-you didn’t leave me a choice...” Alphys took a deep breath, and then it hit her. “H-hey! If you don’t think they’re the killer, why did you put them through all that?!”

“OH, ALPHYS, ALPHYS... I MAY HAVE MY OWN OPINIONS, BUT I AM FIRST AND FOREMOST AN ENTERTAINER. AND THE PEOPLE DEMAND ENTERTAINMENT IN THESE TRYING TIMES! IT JUST SO HAPPENS THAT THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT IS BY HUMAN-BASHING. YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW HOW IMPORTANT MORALE IS. HOW MANY RIOTS DID YOU HAVE TO STOP DOWN THERE, ALREADY?”

“B-but you’re feeding them false hope! N-not only are you hurting the human, b-but you’ll be hurting your audience too!”

“I _HAVE_ BEEN TRYING TO EDUCATE THEM, HAVEN’T YOU NOTICED? THEY’VE MADE THEIR OPINIONS CLEAR. IN THE MEDIA BUSINESS, YOU QUICKLY LEARN THAT THE TRUTH DOESN’T MATTER NEARLY AS MUCH AS WHAT PEOPLE _THINK_.”

“That’s not right at all...”

“’ _RIGHT’_ PLAYS NO FACTOR HERE, ALPHYS. ESPECIALLY NOT IN YOUR FAVOR.” His screen turned red. “YOU NEARLY COMMITTED MASS MURDER TO SAVE THIS _ONE_ HUMAN. I HAVE HALF THE MIND TO SHOW UNDYNE OR ASGORE THE EVIDENCE MYSELF AND TELL THEM WHAT YOU DID. AND THAT’S ME BEING MERCIFUL. IF I WASN’T MERCIFUL, I WOULD HAVE RELEASED THE NEWS TO THE REFUGEES YOU’VE BEEN PROTECTING AND LET THE MOB TAKE CARE OF YOU.”

“No... wait—“

“BUT! I AM WILLING TO GIVE YOU A CHOICE.” His screen turned yellow again.

Cold shivers went up Alphys’ spine. “What— what do you—“

“LET ME TAKE THE HUMAN’S SOUL. AND I KEEP YOUR LITTLE SECRET A SECRET.”

“No.”

“WOULD YOU RATHER THEY FIGHT ASGORE, THEN?”

“N-no, I—“

“YOU REALISE WHAT THAT WOULD LEAD TO, DON’T YOU? THE _BEST_ CASE SCENARIO WOULD BE IF THEY _KILLED_ HIM. AND JUDGING BY THE WAY YOU _BLUSH_ AROUND HIM, YOU DON’T WANT THAT. BUT THE OTHER, MORE LIKELY SCENARIO WOULD BE _HIM_ KILLING _THEM_.”

“And then he’ll, he’ll...”

“HE’LL USE THEIR SOUL TO DESTROY HUMANITY.” Mettaton let out a mechanical-sounding huff. “AND THAT’S SOMETHING NEITHER OF US WANTS.”

“T-there has to be some other way...”

“NO, THERE ISN’T. THE ONLY WAY THEY WON’T HAVE TO MEET HIM IS IF THEY DON’T TRY TO LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND, AND WELL... YOU SAW WHAT THE UNDERGROUND THINKS OF THEM. HUMANS HAVE NO FUTURE DOWN HERE. AND IF SOME OTHER MONSTER, LIKE YOUR _OTHER CRUSH_ , UNDYNE, GOT THEIR HANDS ON THE HUMAN’S SOUL, WELL... IT WOULD REACH ASGORE.”

“No... no...”

“WELL, I PRESENTED MY TERMS, ALPHYS. NOW YOU HAVE A CHOICE. IN FACT, I ACTUALLY MADE THINGS EASIER FOR YOU.” Mettaton began pacing back and forth, clasping his hands around his back. “I HAVE A PLAN IN PLACE TO GET THE SOUL. THAT PLAN IS SO GOOD, IN FACT, THAT EVEN UNDYNE IS ACCOUNTED FOR. AND BEFORE YOU ASK, NO, IT DOESN’T INVOLVE HURTING HER. HARMING OTHER PEOPLE FOR ONE’S OWN SELFISH GAIN LIKE THAT IS THE SORT OF THING _YOU_ DO, ALPHYS. NOT ME.”

 _Then what was that treatment of the human for,_ Alphys wanted to ask. She swallowed that question and glared instead.

“SO HERE’S THE DEAL: IF I SO MUCH AS SUSPECT YOU TRIED TO DEACTIVATE ME AGAIN, THE TRUTH WILL BE RELEASED TO ALL. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS STAY OUT OF IT, ALPHYS. AS SOON AS I HAVE THE SOUL, YOU’LL BE ABLE TO BREATHE A SIGH OF RELIEF, KNOWING YOUR SECRET IS SAFE. AND THEN I WILL USE MY NEWFOUND POWER TO FIND AND STOP THE KILLER, AND ASCEND TO STARDOM ON THE SURFACE!”

“I-it’s not that simple...” Hot tears slid down her cheeks.

“OH YES IT IS, IT REALLY IS THAT-“

“No. I-I mean, stopping the killer! You’re not going to be able to stop the killer.” Alphys dropped her gaze to the floor. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“WELL. I PRESENTED YOUR OPTIONS TO YOU. GOODBYE, ALPHYS.” Lights flashed across his screen like a wink. “I HOPE YOU CHOOSE WISELY.”

The monitor shut off, and the room bathed in darkness once more.

Alphys raised her hand to her mouth. The tears kept streaming down her cheeks. Big droplets hit the floor, drenching the stray papers by her feet. She could hear papers rustle as Flowey popped out of the ground.

 “Alphys,” he said. “You realise what this means, right? Mettaton has to go.”

“No... W-we... we can’t—“

“We don’t have a choice. I’m not letting this human die! You’re gonna have to use that bug.”

“What? I—“

“The power surge bug!”

How did he know?

“B-but...”

Her phone rang. She froze for a moment, before taking it out of her back pocket.

“Alphys! Flowey!” the human’s voice rang out. “Sans is- he’s...” They broke out into sobs and wheezes.

 “Sans is— what?” asked Flowey.

“He’s... coming...”

“H-human...” said Alphys. “what... uh... what happened?”

“Papyrus just called, a-and—” The human was trying to control their breathing. “—and he said that Sans was coming. And... and I’m really sorry I’m wasting your time because he’s not even here yet and—”

“Stop apologising already. We get it,” said Flowey. “Just go through the core, like you were going to do before. And try to be quick. We’ll deal with Sans.”

“R-really?” asked the human. “You could—“

“Yes, we could,” said Flowey. “Just go.”

The line shut off with a beep.

“Flowey,” said Alphys, “how are we going to stop Sans? He can... do that thing where— “

“Teleport? Don’t remind me.” Flowey was trying his best to look aloof and disinterested, he looked to his side with narrowed eyes. But she could see him shivering. “Look. He might be able to reach the human fast, but he can’t know for sure where the human is yet.” He lifted his eyes to meet hers. “So I have a head start.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to- to-“

“Yes. I am. I’m going to go look for him.” He shuddered. “And distract him from the human until they can cross the core.”

She knelt down to be eye level with Flowey. “You d-don’t have to do this, I-I mean what if he-?”

“Look. I’ll be able to evade him. I’ve gotten quite good at it since, well. I had no choice. Thank you for that, by the way.”

Alphys dropped her gaze.

“So, you got what you wanted, huh,” said Flowey. “I’m gonna leave you alone now. But I better meet the human at the end of the core in an hour’s time. Or there will be hell to pay.” He popped up into her view. His eyes bore into hers. “And _trust_ me. I’m going to be _so much_ _worse_ for you than Mettaton would be, if you choose him over me.”

He burrowed in the ground again. Alphys lifted her head up and stared around the room.

She had no allies here. None whatsoever. On one hand, there was Flowey. On the other, Mettaton. Both pressing her under their thumbs. And meanwhile, Undyne and the human were caught in the middle of it all. Undyne well above her head. The human targeted by all sides. And now Sans was involved.

She couldn’t kill Mettaton. Mettaton was her first friend ever, and even though they weren’t friends anymore, he didn’t deserve to die.

The betrayal in his voice was unmistakeable as he recounted to her how she nearly killed his audience. But even so, he hadn’t even considered the possibility that she might use that bug. He might have even thought that she had fixed it already, like she told him she'd do.

She thought of what would be going through his head if she used that bug against him. The shock, the dread, the pain of her betrayal.

But... what if Flowey doesn’t survive Sans this time? A weight lifted off her chest at the thought, only to be replaced with revulsion at her own relief. If that were to happen, she’ll have to let Mettaton have their soul.

It’d be for the good of humanity, she told herself. The human would just die anyway otherwise. She wasn’t _just_ being selfish.

The child’s crying face flashed through her mind. She remembered the picture on her screen, of them strapped to the chair. Cowering beneath everything the monsters threw at them. Trying to cover their face. Unable to run or hide. All she could think of back then was how grateful she was that it wasn’t _her_ on there.

Even now, one way or another, she’ll throw someone else under the bus to save her own skin. Hell, this whole thought process started with her assuming that _Flowey_ was going to die, and feeling _relieved_. That was the kind of person she was. Weak and Selfish.

What was she going to do?

 

 

* * *

 

The closer Frisk got to the Core, the hotter it got. Once they stepped foot in, it was like walking into a furnace. Sweat soaked their clothes, sticking to their body. They could see the air around them move. The very thought of having to wade through it filled them with exhaustion, but they trod on.

Flowey will be waiting.

They found themself in a room, bathed in red light. In the middle, there was an elevator, and there were hallways to either side of it, extending ahead past the point where Frisk could see. They took their phone out. ‘ _which way?’_

‘ _don’t go in the elevator. Ctrled by mtt. try left?’_

They went up the left corridor and were met with a dead end, and a sight to see. The walls ended behind them, leaving nothing but bare platform, and beyond the platform, lava bubbled and glowed, only a few meters below. They could see why it was so hot. Something hovered in the distance, dark and formless, a contrast to the red and orange glow from the lamps and lava.

They squinted, scrambling forward, trying to take a look at it. But, with one misstep over crumbling ground, they realised their mistake.

They lost their balance and slipped further down onto the falling platform. They managed to grasp the edge and climbed. They leaped onto the stable platform, hitting the edge with their chest with their arms on the platform. A sound echoed in their ears as the crumbles fell into the lava.

They struggled to stay on the platform. They tried to grasp onto something, anything, on the flat ground. They pushed with their feet, trying to climb to safety. The edge of the platform felt sharp against their stomach, pressing the air out of them, but bit by bit, they managed to pull themself up.

Panting, they scrambled away from the edge of the platform. They reached into their pocket and pulled out the buzzing phone. A series of messages barraged them.

_‘‘jhsakldl human keep pushing’_

_‘im so sorry!’_

_‘you can do this!!!’_

_‘Human, are you ok?’_

They groaned and shoved their phone back in their pocket.

They headed out in the other direction and turned the corner when. At the end of a long corridor, they reached a glass bridge. Their phone buzzed again.

_‘lasers! Stay stil’_

 They lifted their head and saw vertical blue rays of light flying towards them. They hopped over them like they did with Papyrus’ bone attacks and kept going.

The deeper they went, the more maze-like the core became. Forks by the dozen. Corners after corners. Platforms ascending and descending. Bridges of glass, pillars of metal, and not a landmark to be found. They were running around in circles and still couldn’t recognise a thing. The entire place was bathed in red and orange light. The heat kept rising.

They let out a sigh of relief when they ran into a pillar which looked familiar. But then panic filled their chest. The pillar was a lot deeper in the lava than it was before. The lava below was rising, ready to swallow the platform on which they stood.

A burst of lava exploded in front of them. Droplets flew through the air and landed on the floor  spraying mere metres from their feet. They took a step back, wincing as though burned. The droplets sizzled and smoked on the ground.

They had to get away from here. Away from the lava. As far away as possible. Somewhere safe.

They heard a mechanical sounding noise and turned towards it. The wall was shifting, panels slid away one after the other to reveal a plain metal door. They ran up to it and reached for the handle. The metal burned the pads on their fingers, but they did not let go. They pulled and pulled, but it would not budge. Their phone buzzed again. They kept trying to pull.

A loud click sounded, and the handle gave. Frisk had to step back to stop themself from falling as the door swung. Still ignoring the phone in their pocket, they swung around the door’s edge and entered the room.

The door slammed behind them as soon as they entered, which should have been cause for alarm. But Frisk couldn’t complain, because as soon as the door closed, a stream of cold air flew into the room from above like a shower, cleansing Frisk of the heat.

They took in the room. It was dark, except for the ambient lighting that came from a dim red lamp on the wall. As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they could make out a few more details. On the floor, there were several wires and pipes spread out like roots and vines. Attached to them, was what looked like a machine of a sort, a generator, perhaps. Frisk could not tell, as the machine’s inner workings were hidden in a square metallic casing, with a rectangular black panel spread across. If it weren’t for the fact that the machine was shaking and rattling and making a low, humming noise, Frisk would not have known it was a machine at all. Their eyes travelled up some more and landed on a large screen on the wall. Oh _no_.

The screen turned on, and started displaying static. Frisk squinted at the sudden burst of light in their eyes. The image on the screen got sharper and sharper, and Frisk could see that it has taken the form of a ghost, like Napstablook. They found themself drawing close to the television screen and touching it. A thought popped into their head.

“I-is that your real form?” they asked.

“NO. THAT, HOWEVER, IS MY _FORMER_ FORM. I SCARCELY GET TO EXPERIENCE LIFE IN WHAT I’D CONSIDER TO BE MY _REAL_ FORM.” The screen shut off.

“Oh,” said Frisk. They pulled their hand back. “I’m sorry. I... uh... I know what that’s like.”

“IN ANY CASE, HUMAN, IT’S NOT WHAT I AM HERE TO DISCUSS.”

Frisk swallowed their saliva and broke eye contact with the screen. “What do you want?”

“I AM HERE TO OFFER YOU A TRUCE. OF SORTS.”

“Where—“ They kneeled down and spread the pipes and wires from one another by the tips of their fingers. “—where’s the camera?”

 “DON’T WORRY. THIS ISN’T BEING BROADCAST. IT’S NOT JUST A MATTER OF ME TRYING TO PROVE MY TRUSTWORTHINESS TO YOU. IN FACT, IF ANYONE WERE TO HEAR THIS CONVERSATION, I WOULD BE IN ALMOST AS MUCH TROUBLE AS YOU ARE. IN CASE YOU HAVEN’T NOTICED, YOU AREN’T EXACTLY _POPULAR_ DOWN HERE.”

Bitterness filled Frisk’s mouth.

“YES. I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING. YOU’RE PROBABLY THINKING _‘WELL, NO THANKS TO YOU!’_ OR SOMETHING EQUALLY SASSY AND WELL-DESERVED. BUT YOU SEE, DARLING, I DIDN’T FEEL I HAD MUCH OF A CHOICE. I HAD AN AUDIENCE TO THINK OF.”

Frisk stared at the screen, they felt tears come in their eyes, but they were too tired to cry.

“WHEN UNDYNE CALLED ME A HUMAN-LOVER, BACK IN OUR FIRST MEETING, SHE WASN’T WRONG. BUT ENOUGH ABOUT ME, LET’S TALK ABOUT YOU! WHAT DO _YOU_ THINK OF HUMANITY?”

“Huh?”

“DO YOU WISH TO SEE YOUR KIND GO EXTINCT?”

“No!”

“GOOD. NEITHER DO I. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, WITH THE WAY YOU ARE GOING NOW, THIS IS INEVITABLE.”

Frisk lowered their eyes and fiddled with the hem of their sweater. Their voice trembled. “W-what do you—what do you mean?”

“HM. I EXPECTED UNDYNE TO HAVE FILLED YOU IN ON THE DETAILS, CONSIDERING HER PROPENSITY FOR HEROIC SPEECHES. BUT LET ME JOG YOUR MEMORY.” The screen turned on, displaying a picture of six colorful hearts floating inside glass cylinders. “MONSTERS ARE AT WAR WITH HUMANITY. THEY ARE ONLY HELD BACK BY THE BARRIER. THE BARRIER CAN BE BROKEN WITH SEVEN HUMAN SOULS, OF WHICH MONSTERS ALREADY HAVE SIX.” The screen turned to Mettaton’s regular robot form. “DO YOU SEE WHERE I’M GOING WITH THIS?”

Frisk gulped. They twisted the hem of their sweater so hard that they could see their fingertips turn white. “Undyne told me...”

“TELL ME THEN, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY EXPECT TO PROTECT HUMANITY?”

“O-once I get past this place, I’ll reach the exit, and then-“

“ASGORE GUARDS THE EXIT.”

Frisk’s head shot up. They stared at Mettaton, wide eyed.

“ASGORE. THE KING OF ALL MONSTERS. THE ONE WHO HAD ALL HUMANS WHO CAME BEFORE YOU KILLED. THE MOST POWERFUL MONSTER IN THE UNDERGROUND. DID YOU BELIEVE HE WOULD JUST _LET_ YOU THROUGH?”

They dropped their gaze again, their fingers entangled with the hem of their sweater once more. “I... I didn’t—“

“OH. SO UNDYNE DIDN’T FILL YOU IN ON THAT. BUT FORTUNATELY, DARLING, I HAVE A SOLUTION.”

Frisk looked back up at Mettaton without raising their head.

“GIVE ME YOUR SOUL, AND I WILL KEEP IT OUT OF UNDYNE AND ASGORE’S HANDS.” A hatch opened beneath the monitor, small and made of glass. “JUST PLACE YOUR SOUL HERE, AND IT’LL BE REMOVED FROM YOUR BODY. DON’T WORRY, THE PROCESS SHOULD BE QUICK AND PAINLESS.

 “No.”

“THIS IS THE ONLY WAY.”

“Why should I trust you?”

“I’VE ADMIRED YOUR KIND FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER. STARDOM IN THE UNDERGROUND IS NICE, BUT IT WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AS STARDOM TO HUMANITY! YOUR SOUL WILL BE IN GOOD HANDS.”

“No... no...” Frisk closed their eyes and pulled at the hem of their sweater.

“THIS IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. ONCE I HAVE YOUR SOUL, I CAN SAVE BOTH MY KIND AND YOURS. NOT ONLY WILL I PREVENT MANKIND’S EXTINCTION, BUT I WILL ALSO STOP THE KILLER, AND CLEAR YOUR NAME. YOU’LL BE REMEMBERED AS A HERO WHO GAVE UP THEIR LIFE TO SAVE US ALL.”

The sinking feeling at the pit of their stomach kept dragging down. “I... I don’t want to die...”

“YOU’RE BEING SELFISH, DARLING. DON’T YOU REALISE? YOU’RE GOING TO DIE ANYWAYS, IF YOU GO AGAINST ASGORE.”

Frisk’s chin dug into their collarbone. Their grip on their sweater relaxed as anxiety gave way to despair.

“TELL ME, CAN YOU NAME ONE REASON WHY YOU DESERVE TO LIVE MORE THAN THE REST OF HUMANITY?”

Frisk struggled to think of something, anything that could justify why they wanted to stay alive, but they couldn’t. They didn’t deserve to live more than the rest of humanity did. They barely even deserved to live at all.

“...NO? AND YET YOU HAVEN’T GIVEN ME YOUR SOUL YET.” Mettaton let out a sigh. “WELL WELL, THEN. I GUESS WE’LL HAVE TO DO THIS THE HARD WAY.”

Frisk snapped out of their haze when they heard something break and start to fizzle. They whipped their head up.

“DON’T WORRY, DARLING! THERE’S NOTHING TO BE AFRAID OF. JUST LIE DOWN. IT’LL BE OVER SOON.”

“Wha—“ Frisk paused at the sound of their own voice, which was a few pitches higher than it usually is.

“THIS ROOM IS FILLING WITH HELIUM. BUT DON’T BE AFRAID. HELIUM IS A VERY PAINLESS WAY TO DIE. YOU’RE GOING TO FALL ASLEEP, AND THEN NEVER WAKE UP.”

Frisk ran up to the door and gripped the doorknob. They pulled and pulled with all their might. Their breaths grew both higher in pitch and shallower.

“STRUGGLING IS JUST GOING TO KILL YOU QUICKER, DARLING. WON’T IT BE EASIER TO TRY TO MAKE PEACE WITH THE TIME YOU HAVE LEFT?”

Light headed, they collapsed against the door. Struggling to stay conscious, they turned around and slumped against the door. It was then that they caught a glimpse of the bright screen, which had several black patches. They tried to make sense of the blurs on the screen and sort them into words:

_‘shoot the panel on the machine!!!’_

Their soul was a yellow blur. They squinted, trying to regain some clarity. They pushed down on their soul with all their mind’s might, rotating it down and down. Their vision was going black. They shot in the dark, over and over, spraying shots.

They fell on their back as the door swung open. Wheezing, they turned around and crawled out of the room, away from the door. They tried to take in deeper breaths, gobbling the air around them. They never thought air this hot could feel so fresh.

“NO? OKAY THEN.” Mettaton’s voice felt as though it cut through their head. “I GUESS WE’LL HAVE TO DO THIS THE _EVEN HARDER_ WAY. SEE YOU AT THE ARENA, DARLING! DON’T WORRY, YOU CAN’T MISS IT. NOT IF YOU WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE. THAT IS.”

Regaining their sight, Frisk watched their own rising and falling chest as they laid splayed on the ground. They pushed themself up to be sitting and pulled out their phone. They turned on the phone and stared at its brightness. It took a moment before they could register any of the words written on there.

_‘NO’_

_‘don’t go tjere!’_

_“Its a trap!!’_

_‘gwtoutgwttoutgetout!!!”_

_‘don’t listen to him.’_

_“human”_

They stared at the screen as the words blurred together again. Their face felt hot. They had no idea what to think anymore. They lifted their phone and started typing.

 _‘Alphys? Is he’_ They paused for a moment to think of their first question. _‘saying the truth?’_

There was no response for a long moment, to the point where Frisk wondered whether the message even reached her. But just as they were about to try to send the message again, the screen displayed the message _‘Alphys is typing...’_

It took even longer for Alphys’ response to reach them. ’ _yes’_

_‘Should I give him my soul?’_

‘ _no’_ Alphys’ response was quick, this time. The message _‘Alphys was writing...’_ displayed on the screen again.

Frisk didn’t wait for her to respond before sending their own message: _‘I don’t want humanity to die.’_

The message _‘Alphys is typing...’_ lingered on the screen for a few moments, occasionally disappearing and then reappearing again, before Alphys’ response finally displayed: _‘flowey’_

Frisk stared at the screen. She had a point, they told themself. They weren’t being _selfish_ for not giving Mettaton their soul. They would be _selfish_ if they did, right? Flowey wanted them alive. He already saved them multiple times, even at a risk to himself. They couldn’t waste that. And besides, _Flowey_ didn’t hate humans, he was their friend. He’ll think of _something_ , _someway_ they can get past Asgore, right?

They still felt like crying _._ With shaky fingers, they dialled her number. The call shut off as soon as it registered.

_‘sorry, but i think we should talk by txt. Its safer’_

‘ _I wanna talk to Flowey’_

The screen lingered on ‘ _Alphys is typing...’_ once again. Frisk started dialling again when her message came through.

‘ _he isnt here right now. went to distract sans.’_

Frisk stared at the screen, feeling lightheaded all over again. They were an idiot. Now Flowey was in danger because of them.

And not to mention, the whole reason why Alphys was helping them was because he forced her to. With him gone, will she—?

Another tuft of lava exploded at their side. They put their phone in their pocket and leaped to their feet. The unbearable heat of the room started weighing on them again.

They’re gonna have to sprint their way to the exit.

 

* * *

 

They ran and ran through the maze that was the core, and got onto a bridge. The lava has gotten more violent, spraying droplets beside them. Frisk could only zigzag between the explosions and pray they would reach the other side with their legs intact.

At the end of the bridge, an entrance marked with colourful lights on top drew closer and closer. Beyond it, Frisk could see nothing but darkness. A sense of foreboding came upon them. This must be the arena.

They did not stop running. They burst into the entrance and fell into the dark. They lay there for a moment, trying to catch their breath, when they heard the sound of stone shifting and rubbing against other stone.

The entrance into which they got _definitely_ lead into the arena.


	11. Razzle Dazzle

Frisk pushed themself up on their forearms, feeling the ache on their shoulder. The ground turned bright blue.

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,” said Mettaton, “THIS IS THE MOMENT YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR! THE GRAND FINALE...” A drumroll played. “IN WHICH THE HUMAN GETS WHAT’S COMING TO THEM!”

The canned sounds of cheer filled the room. Frisk forced themself back on their feet and looked around, trying to make out the room. But beyond the spotlight circle in which they were standing, there was nothing but darkness.

They were filled with adrenaline.

“LIGHTS!”

The lights turned on all at once, invading Frisk’s retinas like knives in their eyes.

“CAMERA!”

Frisk looked up and saw dozens of black lens peering on them from between the lights.

“ACTION!”

The sounds of mechanics sounded through the air, accompanied by the sound of someone banging on metal with all their might. And then, a _‘ding’_. Frisk turned towards the sound and saw Undyne bursting out of an elevator submerged in spotlight. She glared at Mettaton.

“What the hell!” she said, “you trapped me in there for half an hour!”

“AHH YES, BUT DID I NOT BRING YOU TO THE RIGHT PLACE, UNDYNE?”

“I don’t know, what is this place, anyw—“ she noticed Frisk and drew her spear out. “You!”

“AS YOU CAN SEE, THE RIGHT PLACE,” said Mettaton. “I BROUGHT YOU RIGHT TO THEM. AND JUST IN THE KNICK OF TIME! BECAUSE, YOU SEE—”

A whirring sound came from above. Frisk looked up and saw light in the shape of an arc: a doorway.

“—THEY WERE ABOUT TO REACH THE CORE’S EXIT!”

Two ways out. Elevator, doorway. But no clear way to get to either one.

“If you didn’t keep me in that _coffin_ for so long, I would have caught up with them earlier!” said Undyne. Both her eye and her spear focused on Frisk, equally sharp.

“OH WELL. LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, GOOD CAPTAIN! YOU COULDN’T HAVE ASKED FOR A BETTER ARENA. LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF—“

“NGGHHAA!” Undyne surged at Frisk, spear first.

They threw themself aside and scrambled away as her spear made a crack in the ground. Their soul turned gold once more and began turning upside down.

“—THE ARENA...” said Mettaton.

Undyne pulled her spear out and lifted it up, pointing at the ceiling. A massive spear pointed at Frisk from above her.

“ASPECTS SUCH AS—“

The spear launched towards Frisk. Keeping their breathing controlled, they aimed the tip of their soul at it.  They fired. The bullet tore through the spear, breaking it in half, but the spear pieces still sped towards them. Frisk closed their eyes tight.

When they opened them again a moment later, each half of the spear was lodged on either side of them. Undyne sprung at them again, a mass of spears at her back.

“VERTICAL MOBILITY!”

Frisk and Undyne stumbled as the ground dropped a metre. Undyne’s spears shattered behind her.

“Hey!” said Undyne, “how is this supposed to help me?!“

The ground rose up again, gradual, but quick enough for Frisk to feel as though they were sinking into it.

“CAN’T KEEP YOUR BALANCE, GOOD CAPTAIN?”

The ground dropped again, deeper this time. Undyne landed with both feet and a hand on the ground. Frisk, on the other hand, landed on their butt.

“You just added this to try to spice up the battle!” said Undyne. She was sweating again.

“WELL, THE NEXT FEATURE WOULD BE MORE TO YOUR LIKING, THEN,” said Mettaton. A drumroll echoed through the room. “TUBES!”

True to his words, tubes popped out of gaps and panels in the walls, the floor, and even from between the cameras. They varied in size, from snakes to tunnels.

“What?! That makes even less sense if you’re trying to help me!”

“LET ME EXPLAIN THE USE OF THE TUBES, THEN: ONE, TO PROVIDE HYDRATION FOR OUR BRAVE HEROINE!”

One by one, each of the pipes started spreading water. The small pipes drizzled, the large pipes gushed, and the pipes on the ground launched water up like geysers. Cool mist filled the room, a brief respite from the searing heat of the core.

Frisk licked the air. Their mouth was so dry that their tongue felt like cloth.

“TWO,” said Mettaton, “TO COLLECT THE HUMAN’S SOUL UPON THEIR DEATH.”

Frisk felt the fabric of their sweater being tugged on. The mouth of a pipe upon it. They pulled away and grasped their soul in their palms, before hurrying from the pipe. Could one rip their soul away while they were still alive? Hopefully, Undyne won’t think of it, and they won’t forget.

“All right!” said Undyne. “Maybe I was wrong about you after all, Mettaton. Or maybe Alphys has finally fixed what was wrong with you.”

A part of Frisk wanted to tell Undyne where Mettaton was really going to send their soul. But they knew she wouldn’t believe it.

“WAIT, WAIT, HOW COULD I FORGET THE MOST IMPORTANT PART: SCREENS.”

And with that, four rectangular black panels slid from out the ground and around the arena’s sides. Frisk’s eyes fixated on the screen in front, only to be assaulted by light once more when it turned on. Their eyes adjusted to the sight of their own form.

“Oh. Of course you’d do something like this again,” said Undyne. “At least the pipe thing was useful.”

Frisk kept staring at the screen in front. If it was anything like that talk show thing, Alphys might have at least _some_ control over these screens. She might even be able to help them. They hoped she would. But without Flowey around, _would_ she?

 “Human,” said Undyne, “I’ve said all that I needed to say already. This time, nothing will stand in the way of justice!”

She charged at them, spear first. They stepped aside. She dug her heel into the ground, rooting her stance, before thrusting her spear at them. They slid backwards, only to lose their balance over the slippery floor.

She stood over them, her legs on either side of their torso. She grasped the spear with both hands,  lifted it up, and then slammed it down.

They rolled to their side. The sharp side sliced the skin of their back.

She placed a foot on their chest, pressing them flat on the ground. She lifted her spear up again.

They shot the spear and shattered it.

Her face twisted. She dug the ball of her foot into their chest as she summoned another spear.

But before she could point it at them, they fired again. She was sent on her back.

They scrambled back on their feet and looked around at the arena. Geysers exploding across the room. Floating pipes like platforms. Mist. The elevator in the corner, under Mettaton’s control, won’t help them escape. But up above, that light in the shape of a filled arc. Hope.

A burst of water beneath their feet sent them flying several feet into the air.

They landed flat on their back. Their head slammed against the floor. They lay there as pain shot through their body.

“OOOH! COULD THE MIGHTY HUMAN BE OUT SO SOON? FELLED BY THE ENVIRONMENT?”

“No,” said Undyne, “but they will be soon.” The floor shook with each one of her steps as she stomped towards Frisk.

Frisk scrambled back up even as their back ached in protest. Undyne brandished a spear once more, before raising it in the air. She wasn’t attacking, _yet_ , but she _was_ charging her spear with magic, as showed by the light swirling around it. Frisk’s eyes darted around the room. No chance when fighting, but no ability to run, either, unless...

Their eyes fell on a large geyser right beneath a long, flat tube, which was right beneath the doorway.

—And then back to Undyne, whose spear was still collecting power, light forming at its tip, growing larger and brighter like headlights.

They aimed a shot at Undyne and fired. Undyne’s armour flashed yellow as the shot dispersed upon it. Panic gathered in Frisk’s throat, but they kept control of their breathing.

They did the next best thing they could think of and charged towards her. They leapt, good shoulder first, at her torso.

The light above vanished as Undyne lost her balance. Both of them fell to the ground. With a low growl, she grabbed their head, grasping their hair. Pushing against her armour, they struggled to pull away from her.

She was much stronger than they were, and more skilled. Despite their best efforts, Undyne was beginning to twist Frisk’s neck into an uncomfortable position. Their chin inched past their shoulder towards their back.

“WAIT! WAIT,” said Mettaton.

Undyne’s grip on their head relented for a moment. It still prevented them from breaking free, but it stopped pushing their neck. Frisk felt her shift below them. Out of the corner of their eye, they could see her tilting her head to glare at Mettaton. Out of the other corner of their eye, they saw a screen, zoomed in on their struggle. Would it zoom in on their neck once she snaps it?

“What now,” said Undyne, “can’t you see I’m in the middle of something?!”

“YES, YES, JUST, LET ME SET SOME STUFF IN PLACE, CAPTAIN. FOR EASIER SOUL TRANSPORTATION.”

Frisk heard a mechanical wheezing sound, and then, a suction of air pulling upwards. The screen now displayed a pipe with a diameter the size of their torso. They grasped their soul in their hand.

“YOU MAY CONTINUE!”

Undyne’s grasp on their hair tightened and she resumed trying to twist their neck. They kept trying to push back, but they were getting dizzy. Their free arm grew limp, and they collapsed onto her chest. She pressed her elbow on their back to secure her grip on their neck, causing the wound on their shoulder to rub against her armour.

And then the suction from above strengthened. They were both pulled up in a tangle of limbs. In a panicked flail, Undyne let go of their head.

 The suction weakened again and dropped the two of them. Undyne crashed below them. Her head banged against the floor, leaving her limp and dazed. Frisk disentangled themself from her and scrambled away.

“AH,” said Mettaton,”NOT GIVING UP WITHOUT A FIGHT, ARE YOU, DARLING. STILL DITHERING...”

For some reason, Frisk had the hunch it wasn’t directed at them. Or at Undyne. But they didn’t have the time to consider that thought as Undyne soon kipped back up on her feet.

The geyser beneath the pipe under the doorway gushed, launching high up in the air. Frisk realised what they needed to do, but Undyne was in the way.

She lifted her spear again. Frisk leaped away as a spear burst out of the ground right beneath them. And then scrambled some more as another spear burst out of the ground, and then another. They didn’t even realise what Undyne was doing until they were by her feet, cornered by her spears.

Undyne grinned as she lifted up her spear, pointing at them. They broke off a spear from around them and blocked just as she brought her spear down.

She glared, focused on them, as she kept pushing her spear down towards them. Even in spite of their guard, the spear kept getting lower, and lower. The sharp part inched towards their chest, forcing them to go lower until they were almost lying flat on the ground.

They hooked their heel on her shin, which widened her stance and caused her to wobble and loosen her grip. They thrusted the handle of their spear up, causing the tip of her spear to fly up. Her foot dug into their chest. They were still trapped.

A geyser of water burst from beneath them, launching them in the air, over Undyne.

“Urgh, what the—“ said Undyne.

Frisk scrambled back on their feet and darted towards the geyser below the doorway. They heard a whipping noise and shifted aside as a spear zipped past them. They kept running even as the ground beneath was lifting up, making them feel as though they were sinking with every leap and step. Even as the water soaked into their clothes weighed on them.

Undyne’s footsteps clanged behind them, heavy and loud, but not nearly as fast as they were before. Frisk could do it!

They hopped on the geyser just as it burst, and were launched into the air. They crashed into the pipe and hooked onto it with both arms and feet.

“Oi! Let go of that!” said Undyne.

Frisk hugged the pipe even tighter, trying to push themself along the side of it to get on top. They heard the sound of a spear charging from beneath. They unhooked their legs just as the spear lodged in the pipe, and were left hanging on for dear life. They could see Undyne charge up another spear.

“OH DEAR. IT APPEARS THAT I LEFT THAT ONE OPEN,” said Mettaton.

The light from the doorway above disappeared. Frisk gawked at it, filling up with despair. They let go and crashed, back flat on the floor.

“GOOD NEWS, NOW THE HUMAN DEFINITELY HAS NO CHANCE OF ESCAPING.”

“Cut the crap, Mettaton, I know you did that on purpose,” said Undyne. “What are you doing?”

Frisk pushed themself up. Their eyes scoured the room, and fell on the elevator. The elevator that was still controlled by Mettaton. If Alphys wanted to help them now, she’d _have_ to do something to him.

“HELPING YOU WITH THE HUMAN, GOOD CAPTAIN, LIKE I SAID.”

“Well, the arena is helping _them_!”

Everything in Frisk’s body screamed at them to get to the other side of the arena, as far from Undyne as possible, but if they did that, they would draw her and Mettaton’s attention.

“WELL THEN, HOW ABOUT I HELP YOU FIGHT THEM?”

“Help me? You worthless piece of—”

“—HARDWARE DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY TO TAKE ON HUMANS?”

Undyne huffed. “You’re sturdy, sure, but you wouldn’t last a second against a human. Just leave us to our fight. You shouldn’t have gotten involved in the first place.”

“OH, YOU _WOUND_ ME, CAPTAIN.”

“Just shut up and stay out of it! And no more gimmicks. They don’t even help anymore!”

Mettaton put as much drama as possible into a sigh. “AS YOU WISH, CAPTAIN.”

Undyne tore her eyes from Mettaton and faced Frisk again as spears burst out of the ground all around the two of them. Frisk pulled out a spear and held it in both hands, trying to puff up their chest and look at Undyne in her eye, even though they were shaking.

Undyne lifted her spear, and then spears begun raining from above all around Frisk. Holding their spear like a baseball bat, Frisk batted away every spear that came their way, and shot the last one with their soul.

Undyne charged. Frisk rolled to the side. She crashed into the spear-fence. They ran to the other end of the spear circle. And then another geyser burst from beneath them, throwing them above the spears. Miraculously, they landed, unharmed, on their feet. They used the opportunity to run to the other side of the arena.

The sound of Mettaton’s gasp filled the hall.

“Mettaton, What the hell!” said Undyne. “You’ve helped them aga—”

“THE SYSTEM! IT’S OUT OF MY CONTROL! OH, THE HUMANITY!”

“What?”

“THE HUMAN! THEY MUST HAVE— THEY MUST HAVE TAKEN CONTROL OF THE SYSTEM FROM ME USING _HUMAN MAGIC_!”

Frisk stood rooted in place, unsure of their next course of action.

“Oh, for the love of—“

“TRUST ME, UNDYNE, WHY WOULD I HELP THEM? WHY WOULD _ANYONE_ HELP THEM?”

“You—“

“LOOK OUT!”

Frisk felt a sharp stinging pain in their shins, and then saw an orange laser fly from them towards Undyne. She narrowed her eyes and ran directly at the laser, and kept running as it swept through her. She showed no signs of being affected.

And then Frisk realised she was running right at them. They shifted to the side just before her spear went through and stood facing her, still clutching their spear. She snarled and swung at them. They caught her spear with theirs. She kicked them in the chest, sending them several feet back and heaving.

And then, the geysers beneath both their feet, alongside every other geyser in the room, burst up again. They were both lifted up in the air, and were left sitting on top the water. Undyne yelped. Frisk sat up to look at her, and saw that, in her confusion, she dropped the spear, and was flailing around on her geyser.

One by one, the lights in the room went off.

“Human! What are you doing!” said Undyne, “I swear, when I get my hands on you, you’ll—“

A burst of lightening, and a thunder, interrupted her. Frisk felt the hairs on their neck stand. Pillars of lightning flashed all around them.

With despair, they realised what was going on here. This was too flashy for Alphys.

A blinding light flashed across the room. The geysers beneath them dropped off.

“FEAR NOT.”

Frisk squinted as their sight begun returning to them, scrambling back on their feet. A beam shined from above, obscured by a shadow whose shape Frisk struggled to discern. As their vision got clearer, they realised that what they were seeing was— human?

The humanlike being descended from above, one foot outstretched ahead of the other. A graceful silhouette sliding out of the light. They had cheek-length black hair, which covered half of their, surprisingly pretty, face and wore what looked like a pink top with what looked like... valves and dials. Frisk’s stomach sank as they kept staring. They glanced at the screens to see a closeup of the being’s face, noting the grey, almost silver, colour of the being’s skin. This being was not human.

The being landed on the balls of their feet, just moments before their heels clicked against the floor. They stood up straight and flicked their hair.

“WHEN YOU ARE BACKED INTO A CORNER—“

 “Mettaton—” said Undyne.

“WHEN THE ENEMY IS OVERWHELMING—”

 “Mettaton—”

“WHEN ALL HOPE SEEMS LOST—“

“Mettaton!”

“YOU CAN COUNT ON _ONE_ PERSON TO COME TO YOU RESCUE!” Mettaton posed, lifting a knee. His chest puffed up. He put one hand on his hip and held the other in a v-shape by his eye. “METTATON EE-EHX, HUNTER OF HIS OWN KIND!”

 “What. Are. You. Doing?!”

“FEAR NOT, GOOD CAPTAIN! THE BEST OF DR ALPHYS’ TECHNOLOGY IS AT YOUR BACK.”

“No. This— You’re _still_ not taking this seriously!”

“THIS IS MY MOST POWERFUL FORM YET.”

“This form is barely more than a prototype! You would have been better off staying in your box form. At least the human wouldn’t _kill_ you that way.”

“HMM... GOOD POINT.” Mettaton snapped his fingers and took off, floating into the air above. Wheels whirred across the floor as box Mettatons rolled out from every shadowy corner of the room.

Frisk’s head spun. They stilled their breathing and counted. Three from behind the screens and a fourth from behind the elevator. Four, just Four. But still enough to surround them. Every box body turned towards them, their screens glowing red.

“Fine, I’ll allow it,” said Undyne, “if only because I’m getting tired of all this human stuff.” Her face said otherwise, however, as her lower lip pursed and her eye narrowed.

All at once, every box Mettaton rushed towards Frisk.  

Frisk picked up their spear and sprinted towards one of the box Mettatons, tip first.  The tip went through the screen as though it was made of wet tissue as Frisk rammed the spear into the robot. Sparks exploded in their face but they kept pushing, toppling the robot over.

“OH! THE HUMANITY!”

Frisk’s heart stopped for a moment, did they—?

They yanked the spear away in time to hear the sound of a laser charging up. They hopped over the body and rolled away just before the smell of burning metal filled their nostrils. They had to focus on the fight, they told themself.

The other box Mettatons kept closing in on Frisk, their arms outstretched in front like zombies. Frisk swung their spear as another Mettaton closed in, batting the metal body aside and sending it flying. Deactivated but otherwise unharmed, hopefully.

An otherworldly sound directed their eyes above, where a mass of spears floated. The pointed tips followed Frisk wherever they moved. Frisk stood still, glaring the spears down, waiting. The spears launched towards them. They jumped aside and focused on the next nearest Mettaton.

They charged onwards towards the Mettaton when they noticed a shift in his screen. They stopped and took a step back. Their eyes shifted between the box Mettaton in front of them and the humanlike Mettaton that floated in the air, his laser pointed at them, but not firing. Maybe they shouldn’t have worried about that Mettaton.

Wait, they shouldn’t have been worried either way.

The Mettaton in front launched a hand at them. They blocked. He caught their spear. Taking a step back, Frisk tried to pull their spear out of his grip, but couldn’t. He pulled himself towards them, his screen shining red. They kicked him and let go of the spear, falling back. He lifted the spear high and pointed at them. They rolled aside as it came down, then got back up. He swung at them. They hopped back and felt the tip of another spear at their back.

“It’s over,” said Undyne.

Frisk shot forward as she thrusted her spear at their back. The tip grazed their sweater. Mettaton swung again. They ducked beneath it and stepped aside so they could face both the Mettaton and Undyne. They kept stepping backwards as their two opponents closed in on them. They tried firing their soul at them, but the bullets bounced off. A glance back revealed another box Mettaton rolling towards them.

An idea popped in their head. They turned around and sprinted towards the isolated Mettaton. He had only begun turning around when they circled him and jumped onto his back. They scrambled to climb on his flat top as he wobbled. They rotated their soul to point at him.

“Don’t come any closer or I shoot!” they said.

“OH MY. IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A HOSTAGE!”

Undyne looked back and forth between the Mettaton beside her and Frisk. Her eyebrow rose as the sides of her lips twisted into a smirk. She let out a snort.

“I-I mean it!” said Frisk.

“Right,” said Undyne, turning to face Mettaton, “we have them cornered now.”

The Mettaton Frisk was on toppled over onto his back, sending Frisk crashing into the floor. They pushed themself up and saw his lights turned off. They _definitely_ didn’t need to worry about that Mettaton, but neither did their enemies.

Undyne lifted her hand. A massive spear, as long as Toriel was tall, and with a blade as wide as the width of Frisk’s chest, formed above her, its tip pointed at them.

Frisk tried to scramble back, but their back bumped into something that felt hard, and _shifting_. Frisk looked back to see a fence of pillars rising behind them.

“Let’s finish this,” said Undyne. She brought her hand down.

Frisk leapt forwards and pushed the deactivated Mettaton up, then dived beneath its back. The weight on their back pushed on them even harder as spear hit metal. They gaped at the large bump in the metal, but to their relief, the metal remained unbroken.

Their relief was short-lived, however, as they heard the sound of a laser charging up. They scrambled away from the deactivated Mettaton, sparing only a single glance back to see the robot vaporised.

“All right, this has been going on for way too long,” said Undyne, “let’s finish them off. Mettaton! Watch my back!”

A spear formed in her hand, and she lifted it up in the air. Light pulled towards the tip of the spear from all corners of the room, forming a ball of energy. She was charging _that_ attack again.

Frisk sprinted towards Undyne. Interrupting her had worked before, maybe—

They stopped in their tracks as an energy shot exploded into the ground a step in front of them. Up above, the humanlike Mettaton’s gun, still smoking, was charging another one.

Shot by shot, they were forced back, away from Undyne. Every glimpse they caught of her sent their heart pounding as the light at the tip of her spear seemed to grow as large and as bright as the sun. But with Mettaton driving them far from her, they’ll never be able to interrupt her in time.

And then the sound of stone plates rubbing against one another echoed in the room. A circle of thin concrete pillars rose all around Undyne.

“Hey!” said Undyne, “what are you doing?“

Thank goodness, Alphys must have—

“FOUL VILLAIN! TRAPPING THE CAPTAIN LIKE THAT.” The humanlike Mettaton turned to Undyne. “IT APPEARS I MUST TAKE CARE OF THE KILLER ON MY OWN, CAPTAIN!“

Undyne gripped the pillars like bars on a prison cell. “That’s insane! Let me ou—”

“FEAR NOT, GOOD CAPTAIN! BEFORE, YOU HAVE SAVED ME. NOW IT’S MY TURN!”

Undyne took out a spear. “Don’t you understand? You’re going to die!” She tried to slash at the pillars. Her spear shattered.

“OH YESS, THERE IS NO ONE AS FAMILIAR WITH HUMANS AS I AM! NO ONE AS AWARE OF THEIR _TRUE_ CAPACITY FOR KILLING. BUT! I MUST REMAIN BRAVE. I MUST AVENGE THE DEAD! I MUST PROTECT THE LIVING!”

Frisk had no doubt now. This was Mettaton’s doing, not Alphys’. Alphys hadn’t done anything in a long time. How much _was_ she going to help them?

They tried to console themself with the thought that at least they won’t have to worry about Undyne for now.

“LET’S BEGIN!”

The humanlike Mettaton charged up his cannon, light forming in the pit of the barrel. Frisk stood still. At the corner of their eye, they could see the final box Mettaton rolling towards them. He still had the spear.

The humanlike Mettaton fired. Frisk leaped and rolled away. They jumped back on their feet and sprinted towards the box Mettaton. If they can reach him before he is possessed again, maybe—

His screen flashed again. Shoot. They stopped in their tracks as the box Mettaton readied the spear in his hands.

“Hey! That’s my weapon!” said Undyne.

“WOULD YOU RATHER THE _HUMAN_ HAD THIS WEAPON?” said Mettaton. “AND BESIDES, THIS IS JUST TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO KEEP THEIR DISTANCE, AFTER ALL-” A whirr sounded out from above. A heart burst out of the humanlike Mettaton’s torso. “-THIS IS _FAR_ FROM THE GREATEST TOOL IN MY ARSENAL.”

Lightning-bolt shaped projectiles spiralled out of the heart, flying everywhere, hitting every square inch of the room, except those close to the box Mettaton. Frisk slipped between the lightning bolts, and, one careful step after another, drew near to him.

The box Mettaton swung. Frisk slipped under the spear and stepped between another pair of bolts, before lunging at him. He swung again, only for them to catch the spear’s handle with both hands.

Taking a step back, they pulled on the spear with all they had. Sweat gathered on their forehead as their gripped the handle and put their bodyweight into the pull. Their breath hitched as the box Mettaton let go with one of his hands. But his iron grip remained on the spear. They kicked at him, trying to add to their pull, but he remained unfazed.

“TRYING TO WIN A STRENGTH CONTEST AGAINST A MACHINE, DARLING? OH MY, YOU MAY BE CRUEL, BUT YOU AREN’T VERY SMART,”

A laugh track sounded out as the spear was, once again, yanked from their hands, and they were sent falling back.

They got back up and, before he had another chance to swing at them, sprinted away, hopping between the bolts from the heart. Huh, the heart...

The box Mettaton still closed in on them, as they moved around the room, trying to avoid bolts and ignore the stinging sensations they felt when they got hit. In their first opportunity, they aimed their own soul at the heart and fired.

Mettaton let out a strangled noise. The bolts stopped coming as both Mettatons froze up in place. The box Mettaton dropped the spear to the ground. They sprinted towards him.

“No!” said Undyne.

Frisk grabbed the spear and sprinted away as both Mettatons shook off the shock. The Box Mettaton fell over, deactivated.

“WEL THEN, STURDY OR NOT, THESE FORMS HAVEN’T BEEN VERY USEFUL. TIME TO DEFEAT THE KILLER THE _BEAUTIFUL_ WAY!”

 “You’re going to die...” said Undyne.

The humanlike Mettaton posed in midair, and then dashed towards Frisk, heels first, intending to kick.  Frisk caught the heel-wedges with the spear and twisted before pushing back. Mettaton flailed in the air.  He steadied himself and posed again.

“NOT BAD,” he said, the heart got out of his torso again. “BUT IT WON’T BE ENO—“

He let out a strangled sound when Frisk shot him. His heart whipped back in.

“WELL THEN,” he said. He launched up high, far from Frisk’s reach. Frisk steadied themself as the floor sunk below them.

Something exploded right beside them, sending floor debris flying around. They fell over. Pushing themself on their elbows, they turned and gawked the burning wreckage. Through ringing ears, they heard Mettaton’s voice.

“IT’S TIME FOR A TRULY _EXPLOSIVE_ FINALE!”

Something sizzled and hissed near them. They got up and scrambled away just before it exploded. Yet another thing fizzled.

His heart got out again. In their blind dash around the room, they tried to shoot at him, but their shot dissipated in the air.

He was sending them running in circles, they realised. Tiring them out until they make a mistake that will cost them their life. Never giving them a chance to attack. Unless...

They noticed the network of pipes. _Some_ of these will be able to support their weight, right?

An explosion later, they sprinted and leaped onto a pipe which lay at the height of their chest. With both hands and one foot they pushed themself up. The spear dropped to the ground.

“TRYING TO REACH ME? NOT GONNA HAPPEN, DARLING.”

Another bomb dropped near them.  They scrambled to climb up quicker and leapt to the next pipe just before the bomb could explode beneath them.

“They aren’t going to stop. They’re relentless...” said Undyne.

Mettaton dropped another bomb directly onto the pipe, but it rolled off. Glancing up, Frisk saw him rise higher and higher, as if trying to disappear into the ceiling. Good. He better run.  They were invigorated with the determination to climb.

He aimed a laser shot at them. They swung and dodged. The shot dissipated upon the pipe’s metal.

“Remove the pipes!” said Undyne.

“IT... UH... DOESN’T WORK THAT WAY, CAPTAIN.”

Frisk pulled themself onto another pipe. They aimed their soul at him.

“I can’t fight! The pipes can’t help me anymore! We can just take their soul to Asgore ourselves.”

“UH... AH HA!”

The pipe below Frisk dropped a feet.  Frisk tripped, falling on their stomach but still on the pipe. They hugged the pipe as they tried to regain their footing.

“NOT SO FAST, DARLING!”

A hand grabbed their shin and yanked them down. They fell to the floor, the Box Mettaton’s hand still holding their leg. With their free foot, they kicked him. They pulled away before scrambling back towards their spear.

The humanlike Mettaton above kept floating in mid-air, his cannon aimed at them but not firing. This should make it easier.

The box Mettaton launched a hand at their spear. They stepped aside and pushed his retractable arm away with the spear handle. He sent the other hand. They grabbed and pulled. He toppled towards them, staggering atop his wheel.

“No!” cried Undyne.

They smacked his side with the flat of their spear. He drew his arms back like a whip. They shot their soul just above his wheel. He fell back, letting out a pained mechanical moan.

“No...” said Undyne. “Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare!”

Frisk placed a foot on his screen and lifted their spear above their head with both arms. If they disabled him, they would be free, right? The elevator was still there, still right there at the corner of the room. Once he’s no longer controlling it, they can just take it up there.

But if they destroyed the body he resided in, what would happen to him? Could it kill him? He wanted to save humanity...

They stood frozen for a long moment as a chill climbed up their spine. Their entire body went numb. Undyne’s yells muffled in their ears. Their arms fell to their sides, though the spear remained in their hand. They stared at the Mettaton below them.

“I win,” they said. ”I don’t want to kill you. Please, just let me leave.”

A shot charged up above, snapping them out of their haze. They hopped over the Mettaton below just before another laser vaporised the spot on which they stood. They looked up to see smoke trailing off Mettaton’s cannon nozzle.

“SORRY, DARLING. BUT MY SURRENDER WOULD MAKE THIS A SORRY EXCUSE FOR A CLIMAX. THIS IS A FIGHT TO THE DEATH! GOOD VS EVIL. MURDER VS JUSTICE!”

Frisk stepped back. Their chest filled up with a sinking feeling. That was their chance, and they blew it. Nothing short of death could get him to stop hunting them, but they couldn’t kill him.

There was no hope for them.

“IN ANY CASE, NOW THAT ALL OF MY... OTHER FORMS HAVE BEEN DESTROYED, I MIGHT AS WELL PUT THEM TO GOOD USE.”

And with that, light begun drawing onto Mettaton in beams as he spread his limbs out in the air. Frisk shut their eyes as a white flash zipped across the room.

When Frisk’s vision returned, all the deactivated Mettatons laid around the arena in scraps. A light beam formed within the humanoid Mettaton’s core as the scraps flew towards him. They attached to his armour, fortifying him more and more. Frisk could not do anything but stare.

Mettaton was floating in mid air, legs apart, his chest puffed and his hands in fists on his hips.

“AND NOW, INTRODUCING METTATON FINI! THE METTATON THAT CAN NOT HOLD BACK. ALL THE POWER, ALL THE TIME! AND NOW, IT’S TIME. TO. FINISH. THIS!”

He brought his hands together as light formed in his palms, growing larger and brighter. Frisk fired at him with all they had, but the shots bounced off. They tried to aim for his heart, whose glow peeked through the crack of his armor. But from afar, they could not hit it.

Mettaton fired. Frisk leaped forward as light flashed across the room.

The point on which they stood before was now a crater, revealing the ground to be a thick layer of wires and panels, and the hole below to be full of magma. Mettaton charged his attack again.

Mettaton was going to shrink the arena around them until there’s no escape left. They clutched their spear as their eyes darted around the room. Where do they run?

“Y-you know,” they said, “you’re going to destroy my soul this way...”

“NAH-AH! THIS BEAM IS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO ONLY DAMAGE _PHYSICAL_ STUFF. YOUR SOUL’S NOT GOING TO FALL IN THE LAVA, EITHER. THANKS TO MY PIPES.” The light in his hands was already halfway ready to fire.

Frisk gulped and looked around the room again. Their eyes fell on Undyne’s cage. The one place Mettaton wouldn’t fire at.

They sprinted towards it as the blast hit behind them, and leaped over the crumbling platform onto the stable floor. They landed on their feet, one hand on the ground, the other still holding the spear.

Undyne glared at them from above. But behind concrete bars, she was nowhere near as intimidating. They smirked at her, and kept smirking as they stood up and glared at Mettaton.

“I win, again,” they said. “You’re not gonna fire herrahh—“

Undyne gripped them by the collar of their sweater and pulled them to her. “Mettaton! Now’s your chance!”

They struggled to break free of her grip. “Hey! You’ll— you’ll kill her too!” Their back rubbed against the concrete pillars whilst the rough material of their sweater rubbed against the open wound on their shoulder.

“OH... OH DEAR... YOU, UHH... YOU KNOW, HUMAN DARLING, USUALLY WHEN YOU USE OTHER PEOPLE AS SHIELDS, YOU HOLD THEM _IN FRONT_ OF YOU.“

“Now’s not the time for joking!” said Undyne. “Look, I’ll hold them in place! You have to fire!”

Frisk angled their spear to leverage themself against the concrete pillars and broke free. They fell on their knees.

“VERY WELL, CAPTAIN.” Mettaton’s voice was somber than Frisk ever heard it before. “YOUR SACRIFICE WILL BE REMEMBERED.” Light started forming in his palms again.

“Wait,” said Frisk, “You’re actually..? “

The light grew larger and brighter. Frisk glanced back and forth between Undyne and Mettaton. Their head snapped towards him.

“Stop it! Just stop!” they cried. “Look! I’m gonna get away from her!” They sprinted away from the concrete cage and towards the elevator.

All at once, the light above vanished. “THAT’S RIGHT.”

Frisk reached the elevator, and turned around. They could barely register any information other than Undyne’s baffled face before light flashed across the room again. And then there was a crater in the path between them and Undyne’s cage. They were stuck on an island platform with only the elevator beside them.

“WELL THEN.”

Frisk’s eyes snapped from Undyne to Mettaton. The light formed in his hands again. Frisk whipped around and mashed the button beside the elevator over and over again. But there was no reaction.

“DESTROYED RIGHT BY... YOUR LAST HOPE FOR ESCAPE. HOW UNFORTUNATE FOR YOU.” The light in his hands grew larger and larger.

Frisk turned back around. Their back rubbed against the elevator’s doors as they kept trying to step back, looking wide eyed at their impending doom.

“DON’T WORRY, DARLING. I WILL BE QUI— GUHH!“

All at once, every pipe at Mettaton’s level snapped towards him, pinning him in place in mid air. A buzz sounded out as the light fizzled and disappeared.

A message flashed across the screens: _‘Error XX89: unexpected input into function mtt_powersrc_dyn_. _Initiating safe deactivation process.’_

“ALPHYS!”

“A-Alphys?“ asked Undyne. ”Why would she—”

Text flashed across the screens, quick at first, but slowing down.

_‘Alphys has been helping the human.’_

_‘It was Alphys who toppled over the audience’s platform.’_

_‘Alphys deactivated me repeatedly against my will.’_

Frisk’s heart stopped.

“What? No. You’re lying!” said Undyne. “This isn’t funny anymore. Just kill the human already and—“

‘ _Dear Ladies, Gentlemen, and anyone who cannot be fully or truly defined by those terms,_

_I recently came across a harsh truth regarding my creator, Alphys, that I felt I could not hide from you any longer. I told you the gist of it in the preceding messages, in case this screen gets deactivated before you could see it. In this message, I will go into more detail. The evidence can be found at Log MTT2048, on the archives._

_Alphys has been helping the human, though I am not sure for how long. Many of the actions that you may have attributed to the human up to this point have, in fact, been Alphys’ doing:_

_-In the talk show episode, in a bid to let the human escape, Alphys remotely detached the joints holding the audience platform in place. The system event log in MTT2048 will be evidence of that._

_-In the court episode, Alphys has deactivated me to stop me from executing the human. Then, she empowered the human to use the soul-powered shots you saw them use. She also manipulated the elevators to lead them away from the courtroom. Again, this is all logged in MTT2048._

_-Lastly, I have reasons to suspect that she interfered even with my very first encounter with the human. I cannot provide evidence for this, as I did not start backing up the system event log showing her actions until afterwards. But the coincidental nature of the circumstances that lead to the human’s escape had set off my alarms._

_I do not yet know her reasoning for doing this. So I shall leave judgement up to the public.  Her sentence will be at your hands._

_I hope you can forgive me for taking so long to reveal the truth.  
—MTT’_

“You’re lying, you’re lying!” screamed Undyne. “She’d never. You dirty, human-protecting traitor! When I get out of here, I’ll—!”

Frisk pressed their palms to their ears and squeezed. They kept staring at the screens, feeling more and more sick inside. How did he know? Did he find out because of them, somehow? This was their fault.

The message on the screen faded away, and was replaced with another.

_‘Human,_

_I’m ok. Everything is ok. You can go into the elevator now and you’ll be safe. I left you a message on your phone to explain everything. Read it when it’s safe._

_Undyne,_

_The concrete pillars will go down in about an hour. In the meanwhile, I’ve set the pipes to spread moisture around the room again, and I’ve also put some of the old repair drones to task to make sure you have a safe way out._

_I’m sorry. I don’t expect you ever to forgive me for this. And I understand._

_—Alphys.’_

“No... No...” Tears streamed down Undyne’s face. “This isn’t right at all...”

The dread begun fading, giving way to quiet despair. Frisk became aware again of the cold metal of the elevator’s doors at their back. They turned around and pressed the button to open the door.

“No! No! Don’t you dare! Human— don’t you dare!”

Her screams were the only things to follow them into the elevator. But the echoes kept ringing in their ears long after the doors slid shut.

* * *

 

 

The elevator’s deep, soft whirring, and the ascending ground, whose roughness they could feel in their knees even through the material of their pants. Those were the only things Frisk had to tether them still to reality as they stared at Alphys’ message.

_‘Human,_

_First and foremost, I want to say I’m sorry for taking so long. For most of the fight I wasn’t sure what I should do. I was almost going to let him take your soul. But I was wrong. You’re a good person, human. You don’t deserve to die._

_You don’t need to worry about anything for now. Flowey’s going to be okay (I chose to have faith in him and so should you) and he’s gonna get you outta here. I’ve already explained what is going to happen with Undyne. Mettaton isn’t going to be hurt by this, either. The system has been built with safeguards in place for when we did debugging and stuff. A valid controlled shutdown like this isn’t going to kill him. It’s kinda like falling unconscious._

_And please don’t worry about me. I knew this would happen and I’m okay with it. I’ve done a lot of bad stuff. Those were my choices not yours._

_Unless I’m wrong and you’re not worried in which case good! Keep doing the not worrying thing! ^-^_

_In any case, I just wanted to say thank you. I’ve done a lot of stuff I regret, but thanks to meeting you I want to think I’m a little better now. I don’t regret saving you, no matter the consequences._

_For once, I know I did the right thing._

_—Alphys.’_

Frisk kept staring, first at the message, then at the elevator’s walls.

The only reason she started helping them to begin with was to prevent exactly this.  But now, she sacrificed herself to save them.

Why? Did she really think they were worth it? Did they somehow fool her?

They put their now-useless phone back in their pocket. Rolling in a ball in the corner of the elevator, they closed their eyes and wished they could stop thinking entirely.

But their attempt at rest did not last long, as soon afterwards, the elevator shrieked as it slowed down. They let out a groan before pushing themself up to their knees. They took a moment to balance themself with a hand on the wall as the elevator came to a stop. As they stepped forwards, they realised that the doors were not opening.

A row of bones burst out of the ground, right in front of the doors. Frisk froze in place as they heard a deep breathing sound reverberating around the space of the elevator. They weren’t alone here anymore.

“heya, kid,” said Sans.


	12. Dark Determination

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't usually like posting author's notes at the beginning of of a chapter, but I feel that I need to warn you. The content in this fic has been fairly mild so far, but do keep in mind the story's rating is what it is for a reason. It's only going to get worse from here. 
> 
> The only promise I can make is that there would be no sexual content, but that's about it.

Frisk dared not move an inch. They swallowed what little saliva they had in their mouth. He was behind them. Right behind them.

They shifted in place. The adrenaline has worn off, leaving them aware of the dim pain in their joints, the ache in their muscles, and the way the frays of their clothes rubbed into their open cuts and bruises. The cuts on their shoulder and chin. The deep burning within. The chafe on their shins. Their sore wrist.

Exhaustion washed over them, weighing down inside their chest. And yet now they were going to have to fight again, and again, and again...

They grit their teeth and curled their fingers into fists. Spreading apart their legs for balance, they tried to estimate where he might be in relation to them. They swung around, fists flinging. He stepped to the side and slammed them to the ground.

“woah there. you could have started by saying hello back, you know.” Sans’ foot pressed between their shoulderblades. “then again, i can’t say i expected any better from you.”

Frisk let out a dazed moan. They struggled to keep their eyes open, to stop everything from going black.

“you’re probably wondering what i’m doing here,” said Sans.

“You wanna... you wanna kill me...”

“well, i can see why you’d think that. and to be honest, you’re not entirely wrong. but if that’s what i wanted to do, why didn’t i do it yet?”

Frisk closed their eyes, and with great effort, opened them again. Why was he asking them all these weird riddles? They weren’t sure they would have been able to give their own name without mumbling or slurring at this point. It was getting harder and harder to think.

But then again, if he was willing to talk, maybe...

“I’m... I’m not the killer...” said Frisk.

“i know.  in fact, it may be hard to believe, but i never thought you were the killer. i would have said that you wouldn’t hurt a fly. but _well_. the current state of my brother’s arm proves otherwise.”

“I’m... Ugh... sorry...”

“y’know, kid, not only did you break hospitality back then. but you also broke the geneva convention. even by human standards, your actions were _pretty gross_.”

A droplet of blood dripped from Frisk’s brow onto their cheek. They shut their eyes and buried their face in the floor.

“but in any case, even though you would _definitely_ hurt a fly, you wouldn’t _kill_ one. you might try, but you can’t. so no, kid, you aren’t the killer. you’re his lackey.”

“Wh... what?”

“let me show you something.” He removed his foot from Frisk’s back, dug his toes beneath their torso and flipped them over. With a whip of his hand, he pulled their now-blue soul up, lifting them with it, and with an open palm, he pinned them to the wall. Too weak to move, Frisk hung limp.

“alright, do you know what _this_ is?”

Frisk made a weak attempt to lift their head before dropping it again. Something twisted in their hair and pushed on their forehead, pinning their head on the wall. They squinted at Sans’ form. In his hand, there was a small device with shiny black casing. It resembled a police scanner, but rather than an antenna, the end that Sans pointed at Frisk had a wide glass lens. Struggling against the force on their forehead, Frisk shook their head.

“well, to be honest, i can’t blame ya for not knowing,” said Sans, “i would actually be pretty worried if you _did_ know. this device isn’t exactly common knowledge. it’s cutting-edge. actually, no, not even cutting-edge. this is _beyond_ the edge. i got this from a _very_ special person. this device tells me everything i need to know about you.”

“Does it... Does it tell you that I just wanna leave...”

“ha. good one, kid. but no. this device can’t read your mind, but it does tell me some very interesting things about you. like your LOVE. do you know what LOVE is?”

“L... level of violence...”

“oh, so he has told you _that_ , good. well, this device displays your LOVE, right here. and your LOVE is at one. the same, unfortunately, can’t be said for your friend flowey.”

“N...no... No!” Frisk came back to life, thrashing against Sans’ telekinetic grip. They extended their arms as far as they could, trying to grab him, but instead found themself groping the air.

Sans didn’t even lift his head from his device. “y’see, kid, when i pointed this device at flowey, it showed some very interesting stuff. interesting and _incriminating_. his LOVE is at nine-thousand, nine-hundred and ninety-nine, which is just plain egregious, considering that the max’s supposed to be twenty.”

“That doesn’t make any sense!”

“i know, kid, i know. it must be difficult, to find out that someone you care about has done stuff like this. not to mention, he seems to have you pressed down under his root real tight. manipulating you. keeping you nice and weak and dependant on him so you stay loyal.”

“Shut up! He didn’t! He’s my friend!”

“is that why you spent all this time at undyne and mettaton’s mercy, all alone?”

“He... he tried to make me stronger...” Frisk let their arms drop to their sides as tears filled their lower eyelids.

“by having you gain LOVE, right? right. i’ll correct myself, then: he did allow you to grow stronger, as long as it was under his terms, and whilst keeping you under his control. y’see, this machine right here suggests that he hadn’t even told you you could come back from the dead.”

Frisk stared open-mouthed at Sans, shivers going up their spine. This wasn’t revenge on his part, they realised. This wasn’t an act of justice. Sans was no different than those beggars Frisk’s mom and dad told them about, who would scream about the end of the world from street-corners and kidnap disobedient children. Sans was insane. And Frisk was at his mercy.

“let me explain,” said Sans, “do you, uh, play video games?”

No. The other kids never let them try. Frisk shook their head.

“oh, bummer. the analogy i was going to use will just go over your head then,” said Sans. “i guess i’ll just have to show it to ya.”

 “No! Wait—“

“relax, kid. i’m not gonna kill you. yet. i need you to do something for me first.” Still pointing his device at Frisk, Sans sat down. “think of it as a guided meditation of sorts.”

“No!” Frisk thrashed against Sans’ telekinetic grip, kicking the wall.

“well, fortunately, unlike a meditation, this doesn’t require you to relax. i get the feeling that you might find this difficult right now. it also means i can do this.”

He slammed them into the wall again. The air knocked out of their lungs as their skull smashed against the hard material. They were left coughing, gasping, trying not to sob.

“no more violence, ‘kay?” said Sans. “ultimately, this is for your sake, not mine. i’m doing you a huge favour, kid.”

He was a madman, demanding the impossible out of them, and they had no choice but to play along. They nodded hard enough for their head to hurt.

“okay, kid. now, close your eyes, or don’t. i don’t really care. do whatever you need to pull this off. the key thing is, you need to think to yourself _‘I am full of determination’_.”

Shivering and wheezing, Frisk closed their eyes and recited the odd mantra in their head. _I am full of determination. I am full of determination. I am full of determination i am full of determination iamfullof..._

“huh... this doesn’t seem to work,” said Sans. “i’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. i don’t know how it works on a personal level. i never done this myself. we’ll try a different approach, ‘kay?”

Frisk nodded, shaking.

“maybe we need to figure out a goal for you to reach for. after all, determination requires purpose. so, think of something in the room, or something that’s _not_ in the room. anything, really. anything you like. then, you gotta think to yourself: _this thing fills me with determination_.”

Frisk squinted through their eyelashes, taking in Sans’ form. Was there anything for them to focus on, in this empty elevator? Could they get away with not thinking at all?

“look, kid.” Sans shook them. “the sooner you do this, the sooner i’ll let you go. you see, i like to take things easy. but i don’t mind holding you there until you die of thirst, if i have to.”

Sans’ reminder invaded their mind. Frisk’s throat and mouth hurt from dryness. With their tongue, they felt blood on their cracked lips. Their sweat weighed on them like manacles. How could they ignore this before?

“W-what... what is there to think about?” asked Frisk.

“heh, not the brightest, are ya? i’ll give you a hint: think of what fills you with determination. think of what you want, what causes you happiness or wonder. think like you mean it.”

Happiness and wonder were nowhere in sight. They’ll have to think about what they want. They envisioned it: Sans letting them go, unharmed. A futile wish they had no control over. It didn’t fill them with determination.

They moved their thoughts to freedom. To outside the barrier. To the skies. To the light. To the wind and the sun on their skin. To the rain. To the searing cold. To the kids at school. To their parents’ screams and cold glares. It didn’t fill them with determination.

Flowey popped in their mind. Flowey, their friend. His soft light to guide them. His protection even when they’re being weak and stupid and worthless. The fact he’ll be happy to see them again. The possibility that one day, they might even earn his approval.

A strange energy filled Frisk’s body, warm and soothing. They opened their eyes and softened their breathing. This was the most relaxed they’ve been since they’ve fallen here, but at the same time, they were energized.

They were full of determination.

“good work,” said Sans, his eyes on the device. “now, what’s the password?”

“P-password?” asked Frisk.

“the password is _‘i’m a stupid armbreaker’_ ,” said Sans. “welp. time to do my thing.“

“No! Wait—“

A bone burst out of the wall, and out of their stomach. They stared as the blood soaked through their clothes before the pain seeped in. They screamed and squirmed and struggled.

“oh wow. i should make this quicker, shouldn’t i. it’s just sadism otherwise. hold still.”

He pinned their head to the wall and sent another bone out of the wall, and through their throat. They choked and coughed and cried as the world went black around them. Leaving only Sans’ smirking face in front of their eyes.

 

* * *

 

Frisk opened their eyes with a gasp, still pinned against the wall. They looked down. No bones. Their heart pounded in their chest. They were alive.

“good work,” said Sans. “now, what’s the password?”

“Um,” Frisk’s mind went blank. “Uh...”

“the password is—“

“I’m a stupid armbreaker!” cried Frisk. “I’m a stupid armbreaker!”

“oh.” Sans grinned as he looked down at his device. “well done. see, was that so hard?”

Frisk was wheezing as they stared at Sans. Deep nausea arose within their stomach and up their throat. Try as they might, they couldn’t piece together what just happened.

“so, i think you deserve a little explanation,” said Sans. “when i said, _‘come back from death_ ’ it may have been a little misleading. your power is more along the lines of time travel. just activated through death. i’ll try to explain it in plain terms. maybe define a thing or two. so. when you thought about being full of determination. what happened was, you marked a point in time for you to return to. you made a _SAVE_. you SAVEd. and, well, when you died, your desire to live made you go back to that point. that’s called a _LOAD_. got it?”

“Ugh...”

“... i’ll take that as a yes. so, why am i telling you this? because this is a unique and powerful, well... power. using this power, even the weakest person can do whatever they want without consequence. the moment something happens they don’t want, they LOAD. and your friend flowey, he, well, he had this power before you, and he took advantage of it.”

“No!” They pushed against the wall. “Shut up!”

“say, kid, wouldn’t it have been better if you knew about this power before? it could have saved you a lot of pain. but, flowey wouldn’t let you have this power. you took it from him when you fell. you usurped his place as the most determined being here.”

Frisk shook their head over and over. “No... no... no...”

“so, he goes and pretends to befriend you, to keep you from learning to use it. ya see, even when he went around saving your life it wasn’t for your benefit. if you died you would have gone back to the moment you first fell down here. which is called a RESET, by the way. so anyways, he stopped you from dying so you won’t find out, and got the bonus of presenting himself as your hero.”

“He’s my friend! Not you! Shut up!”

“but here’s the meat of the matter: if you keep going the way you do now, there’s a good chance that he’ll find a way to take his power back from you. and you might never get it back.” He let go of them. They fell on their hands and knees. “so this is why i came here. to warn you. you may be the only person who can stop him.”

Panting, Frisk looked back up at Sans. They mustered up the will to glare.

“ultimately, though, it’s up to you,” said Sans. “i pray that you figure it out before it’s too late. but either way, i wash my hands clean of this. if i never see you again, i will be a happy skeleton.” Sans shoved the device in his pocket. “well, bye, then.”

And with a loud otherworldly sound, Sans disappeared.

Frisk closed their eyes as the elevator moved again. They grabbed their hair and pulled, pressing their eyes to their palms. They should have attacked him. But they failed. Stupid, weak, worthless. How were they going to explain this to Flowey?

They punched themself in the jaw.

Sans was wrong about Flowey. Sans was lying. Flowey was their friend and he’ll help them get out of here. Alphys chose to believe in him, and so will they.

They thought back to the time after their first encounter with Mettaton. The worry in Flowey’s voice. The sooth of his green projectiles. Yes. Sans was wrong about Flowey. Sans didn’t know what he was talking about. That is, if he wasn’t lying. And he _was_ lying.

It was all an elaborate trick. It must’ve been. And if it wasn’t, Flowey must have had a good reason to do what he did. They trusted him. They believed in him.

The ring of the elevator woke them from their thoughts. They stood up as the doors opened in front of them, revealing more darkness, even in comparison to the dimness of the elevator. After stepping out, they found themself standing on a long, narrow platform overlooking stone buildings. Little pinpricks of light shone out of arched windows like the torches of a distant mob. There were still people there. A lot of people. Right now, they were far from Frisk, but if they pinpoint Frisk’s location through hints from Mettaton’s live broadcast...

No. Stop. Focus on meeting Flowey again. He’ll know what to do. Frisk set their sight ahead and marched up the platform. After a short walk, and a bend in the path, Frisk was met by a pair of walls, looming on either side, and a huge stone castle ahead. They stopped.

A king. They were going to meet a king. King Asgore. The king of all monsters.

Goosebumps climbed up their neck. Even under the best circumstances, Frisk was not the sort of person who should meet a king. And this king hated humans and wanted them all dead. In fact, even if the king didn’t hate humans, meeting Frisk might convince him to start. They should not be here. They should not be anywhere near here.

They held their arm and ran their dry tongue along the roof of their mouth. It’ll be fine, everything will be fine. They just have to find Flowey before the king finds them. Flowey will know what to do, won’t he?

They dragged a foot up and placed it ahead. One step after the other, they entered the garden, or at least, what should have been a garden, if it weren’t so grey and barren. The only garden-like thing about it was the dead grass beneath the windows. Up close, the building in front of them didn’t look so big. It didn’t even seem like a proper castle, but like an average family home, with a castle built around it. Like a person in a cheap costume.

Something rustled in the grass. Frisk took a step back. A hint of yellow poked out from beneath the weeds.

“F-Flowey? Is that you?” asked Frisk.

 Flowey popped out of the grass and looked up at them. He scanned them from toe to head with an unreadable look in his eyes.

“Mettaton really did a number on you, huh,” he said. “I... I shouldn’t have left you with Alphys.”

“I-it wasn’t so bad,” said Frisk, “and Alphys, she actually—“

“—In any case, the exit’s not far now. Kneel down for a moment, will ya?”

“Oh-okay...” Frisk sat down on their knees and watched as Flowey summoned green projectiles over his head and showered Frisk with them. The ache in their joints faded as their open wounds knitted themselves together. “Thank you, Flowey.”

“Don’t mention it. In any case, it’s not over yet. You need your strength.”

“Y-yeah... I know.” They stood back up and winced as the cut on their shoulder opened all over again. Ignore it. Don’t bother him. “The, ugh, the king—“

“You heard about him? Good. Well, you’re gonna have to face him soon, but fortunately, considering your track record with fighting, I made some plans to help you with that.”

“Huh?”

“Firstly, I’ll be there when you fight him. So if you ever get overwhelmed, I’ll help you.” The door to the castle-house flung open, and Flowey motioned them inside. “Secondly, there’s a chance I’ll be able to end your fight quickly for you. You wouldn’t have to fight him to the death, just distract him for long enough while I get... uh... something.”

“Does that mean he wouldn’t have to die?” Frisk peered into the house. But there was nothing but darkness from here.

“Maybe...” Flowey glanced aside. “It’s not, uh... likely, though. You need his SOUL to leave the Underground...”

“Oh.”

“We need to get going.”

“Right.” Frisk nodded and stepped inside. Flowey slipped in after them and slammed the door shut. Frisk winced as they were submerged in darkness and the door echoed from all directions. A click later, the light turned on.

Frisk blinked away the discomfort of the sudden light as they looked around the room. It was grey, overwhelmingly so. There was a set of stairs ahead of them, surrounded by a short fence and leading down. A broken chain with a ripped note laid on the ground to the right. To the left, there was a yellow flower in a pot, which was possibly the only non-grey item in this room.

“He’s in the garden,” said Flowey, his vine on the light switch.

Frisk glanced at the door, and then back to Flowey.

“I meant the _other garden_. You know. The one that has the throne in it?”

“There’s another garden?”

_“_ Ugh.  You know what, nevermind. My point is, we don’t have to worry about being found yet. Now, does _this_ place, at least, ring any bells?”

Frisk looked around them, again _._ They shook their head.

“Really? No?” asked Flowey. “Wait, follow me. There’s something I need to show you.”

Frisk nodded and followed. Flowey turned to the right and entered the first door which lead into more darkness. He flipped another switch to reveal a simple, if grey, bedroom, with two beds on either side of the room and two opened and ripped-up white-red present boxes on the floor.

Something about this room seemed strangely familiar, but at the same time, wrong. They shouldn’t be here. They shouldn’t be here. Frisk’s eyes fell on the bed to the left. An unconscious step after, they stood right beside it.

This bed looked comfortable enough, they ran their hand across it. Soft, smooth, mattress. Thick blanket and pillow. Back home, they could only dream of a bed like that. But there was bile rising in their throat. Dread. They couldn’t rest here. If they stopped, they’ll never get going again.

They looked away. Their eyes fell on a small picture on a cabinet, depicting two children holding bouquets of flowers. One of the children was human, and looked disturbingly similar to Frisk themself, and the other was a goat-like monster. The monster child was smiling, but the human buried their face in the flowers. The more Frisk stared, the more their insides twisted. They shouldn’t be here. They didn’t belong here. They tried to shake off the feeling and think about what they should do next.

“Can you remember now?” asked Flowey.

“Uh, I think this is...” said Frisk. “This place is...”

“YES!”

“It’s just like Toriel’s house! ...Right?”

 “What?!”

“Uh...”

“Are you joking? Are you pulling my leg here?!”

“N-no... I d-don’t—“

“You really don’t remember this place? You don’t remember anything?”

“I... I don’t—“

“You know what, nevermind. Here, I managed to find this for you again.” He dropped a knife by their feet. “Can you at least remember _this_ now?”

Frisk crouched down and picked up the knife. They rotated it in their hands, examining it from all sides. It was a plain, worn knife, cool to the touch.

“This is the same knife you gave me before...” said Frisk.

“Oh. At least your short-term memory’s working. Good,” said Flowey. “Anyways, take it, wield it against the king, and we will both be free.”

“Okay...” Frisk stood up and held still for a moment to let him climb on them.

“I’ll show you where he is,” said Flowey. “First, you need to go back to the entrance and then down the stairs. There were a bunch of locks there but I already unlocked them for you.”

“—And then I need to follow the basement corridor out, right? Just like when I left Toriel’s house.”

“Yes... and after that, there’s another corridor... and another... New Home is full of long, straight corridors. You really can’t get lost here. No, actually, _you_ might, considering... well. Hopefully you’ll come to your senses soon.”

Frisk drooped their head as they felt heavier and heavier. As though their stomach was engorged and their feet had weights attached to them. They trudged on down the stairs and through the dark basement, where they had nothing but Flowey’s light orb to guide them.

Don’t think of what’s ahead. Keep going. Trust Flowey.

“Hey, why so slow?” asked Flowey. “Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet or something.”

“N-no...”

“Listen to me: this is it. This is the last thing we need to do. Once we do this, we’ll be free. No one will hurt us ever again.”

“Yeah...”

“Think—“ He gripped their shoulders with his vines.“—of everything that happened to you. Think of the pain and the humiliation. Humans, monsters, none of them showed you, showed _us_ , any mercy. If you stay still, if you give up now, it’s going to keep happening. Again. And again. And again.”

Frisk nodded. They passed across yet another long, open platform. The buildings on either side were full of people who would hurt them if given the chance.

“But we can stop it. All we have to do is get stronger. And we _can_ get stronger. They can’t stop us now.”

Flowey was right. Keep going. One foot in front of the other.

With Flowey clinging to them, they strode on. They strode across yet another corridor, where arced widows with elaborate glass panes bathed the room in bright silvery moonlight. How long have they been down here?

Past _that_ corridor, another grey corridor with tall walls. Frisk turned a corner and were met with a large opening on the wall to their side.

 “This is it,” said Flowey. “Like I said, Asgore’s in the garden. Survive and distract him. I’m counting on you.”

Frisk stood still as Flowey climbed down. They savoured that moment. The little moment before they had to go face the king. Before they had to fight again.

Moonlight shone out of the opening, reflecting off the floor and up the wall. They wouldn’t have to fight him in the dark, but they still saw nothing but darkness beyond the entrance to the throne room.

But Flowey was at their heels. Behind them. His eyes pushed them onwards. They ran their dry tongue across their lips, took a deep mouthy breath, and stepped in front of the entrance.

The flowerbed shone bright blue, almost like the echo flowers from before. A tall, broad figure, bearing a large mane and horns and curtained by a dark cloak, stood far back, in the darkness.

They clasped the knife in both hands and stepped forwards, cringing as flowers scrunched beneath their feet. Their eyes remained glued to him. They took another step, and another.

Should they say something? What was there to say? What could they say that would change what was going to happen? They trembled, trying to keep grasp of their knife. Don’t fumble. Don’t drop it. You are already weak. Show any more weakness and he’ll kill you.

Their legs stopped working when they stood under the moonbeam. They stood shaking. He kept standing still.

“Human,” said Asgore. His, deep, booming voice echoed in the halls. “I anticipated your arrival. I have been watching.”

The rectangular glow of a screen lit up from around where his waist would be. Reflected off bright metal—Armour. He was wearing armour. And their clothes were crusty at best, and ripped up for the most part. The glow disappeared as he shuffled something beneath his cape.

He took a step towards them, but only his horns came under the moonlight. And they could do nothing but shake. Their feet still refused to move, as though the flowers below rose up and wrapped around them.

Up close, Asgore towered over them. They were only as tall as his thighs. Even as his face stayed dark, they could feel his eyes on them, his gaze rolling down their face. He was scanning them up and down, sizing them up for—

“Human.” Asgore sat on his knees. He was still taller than them. “Young one...”

Frisk flinched as a large white paw reached out of the darkness. It stopped in the air, leaving them staring at the open palm.

“Would you like a cup of tea?”


End file.
